Amazing in this drought in the south that fungi are somehow sourcing enough water from rain showers to fruit. Aston Rowant NNR on Chilterns shows spectacular growths of Giant polypore Meripilus giganteus at the base of several dead beech trees @rowantnnr.bsky.social @fungiflowers.bsky.social

It's a male Chalkhill Bue butterfly but is the flower a gentian or a Clustered Bellflower I'm trying to turn it into... #pollinatorpals @wildflowerhour.bsky.social r. #WildflowerID @rowantnnr.bsky.social

The #Chalk downland @rowantnnr.bsky.social now enters its purple phase: clustered bellflower, hare bell and sways of scabious!

Our annual count of Broad-leaved Cudweed @rowantnnr.bsky.social under sunshine this year! Huge thanks to Oxfordshire Flora Group & @judywebb.bsky.social for joining us - the numbers are looking promising for this important species in our #arable plots - @rbgkew.bsky.social @plantlifeuk.bsky.social

Chalkhill Blue. Aston Rowant NNR 25/7/25 @rowantnnr.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Silver-spotted Skipper beginning to emerge at Aston Rowant NNR. Six counted 25/7/25. @rowantnnr.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Unbelievable blue of the Adonis @rowantnnr.bsky.social 🦋

A cooler weather for our surveyors on their transect this week: Ringlet, Chalkhill Blue & Small Heath aplenty @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Great! found 8 Narrow-lipped Helleborines in flower at Aston Rowant #NNR in beechwood on chalk over last weeks - first time seen on site since 2016! Combo of two wet years followed by hot & dry yr? @rowantnnr.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @chilternsnl.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Such a better #summer for our #butterflies! The downland @rowantnnr.bsky.social is heaving with lots of species including gatekeepers and peacocks 🦋 #pollinators

An interesting find @rowantnnr.bsky.social 🌸🌸🌸

Enjoyable mothing at Aston Rowant NNR last night with @marcbotham.bsky.social A keen easterly wind limited the catch, but saw some really nice stuff that I don’t normally see incl Dingy White Plume, Reddish Light Arches, Brown Scallop, Large Nutmeg, Shaded & Satyr Pugs & Aethes tesserana. #teammoth

A peaceful end to a rather busy week @rowantnnr.bsky.social - Red kites calling all around - #conservation #grazing 🐑

A beautiful sunken way @rowantnnr.bsky.social - an interesting historic feature, now stuffed with #chalkgrassland #flowers & #butterflies 🌸🦋

What a stunner! A fantastic Privet hawk #moth found whilst a recent #volunteer group was working on some fence repairs @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Swathes of flowers @rowantnnr.bsky.social under the sunshine this week, including one of our favourites - Squinancywort. Here it can be found carpeting the tops of Yellow meadow ant hills #wildflower #NNR

Small-flowered Sweet-briar, Rosa micrantha, on chalk grassland. Aston Rowant NNR, South Oxfordshire. #wildflowerhour. Not #urbanplants but very close to the M40!

Spectacular swathes of Common Valerian & Dropwort at #AstonRowant #NNR. Two of my favourite flowers & Dropwort always characteristic of old #grassland in my experience. When does Dropwort ever colonise any new areas today? The Valerian scent was beautiful. @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflower