Re-upping this key thread on electric vehicles and better cities.

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) was a new site record for @thames21.bsky.social - managed #ThamesRdWetland , Crayford, on 5th June, with a volunteer getting a confirmatory photo. He also took one of a male Scarce Chaser on 29/5, a species first seen here in autumn 2025.

#ThamesRdWetland 12th June. @thames21.bsky.social staff-supported event, all equipment provided. Refreshments. Help sought with raking out cut Reed regrowth, selective thinning of river/ditch vegetation + digging crud out of road run-off trap. Book: book.plinth.org.uk/e/0XWb4WwTrB...

I feel these two headlines should be shown together more

A new film is sweeping across the UK, and beyond - shown in venues from community halls to cathedrals, schools to workplaces. Find out what climate change and nature loss means for our communities - and the enormous benefits if Gov leads on emergency action. www.nebriefing.org/screening-map #PEBuk

The unregulated and uncontrolled use of insecticides in flea treatments has already caused irreparable damage to nature in rivers, sites of special scientific interest and National Parks like the Norfolk Broads It needs to stop now www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Sign the petition NOW! www.saveournewts.org Support this campaign and make a stand for nature. London’s largest breeding colony of Great Crested Newts is under threat from development. If this goes ahead ,it sets a dangerous precedent, allowing nature to be brushed aside when it’s inconvenient.

In little over 24 hours, the petition for government to stage a UK-wide briefing on the climate & nature crisis has passed the 10,000 milestone. Please help us get this to 100,000 to secure a parliamentary debate - by sharing widely. #NationalEmergencyBriefing #TimeToStepUp

25 @thames21.bsky.social #ThamesRdWetland volunteers (15 never been before) donated 564 person hrs habitat management/wildlife recording/event promo/write-ups etc. time to owner Bexley Council in Oct25-Mar26 reporting period (£6,886.44 at Nat Min Wage rate).

My second ever Red Kite in #ThamesRdWetland Crayford airspace this afternoon. Had run out of steam and was lounging on a bank when it went over, or would have missed it. Grey Heron also went over, being very aggressively mobbed by a Carrion Crow. @thames21.bsky.social

4 Swifts over Beverley Rd/Westfield Rd/Hillingdon Rd this eve (30/4) in known nesting zone south of Barnehurst station. First time I'd gone out looking for them this season so could have arrived back a bit earlier. Earliest record here 29/4(25) but again was first date I looked.

Our latest research shows that UK songbirds are routinely exposed to toxic pesticides, covered today in @theguardian.com

Extraordinary dataset of 44 million+ records of UK #butterflies collected by 782,000 volunteers in the past 50 years shows many species are in long-term decline eg Pearl-bordered Fritillary. @ukbms.bsky.social is run by @savebutterflies.bsky.social, UKCEH, @btobirds.bsky.social, and JNCC. 🧪 1/

The management team at #ThamesRdWetland @thames21.bsky.social do not have fires at this important Metropolitan Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. If you're passing by on Thames Rd/River Cray By-way 105 and see a fire, it's ARSON. Please ring Police / Fire Brigade. THANKS.

#ThamesRdWetland @thames21.bsky.social Now been 2nd or 3rd ARSON attack last 3 wks. Large piles cut Reed composting carbon back to soil torched so now in atmos. All life in them incinerated. Nearby v.rare plants damaged. <0 IQ criminals seeking cheap 'laugh' don't care/too thick to understand.

#ThamesRdWetland next @thames21.bsky.social staff-supported workday 10th April. book.plinth.org.uk/.../Dsj81...... No particular skills required. All kit provided. Basic refreshments. Loos available at nearby council depot. Help wildlife. Meet new people.

Meanwhile, on the moon...

Artemis II sent a pic of the beautiful garden planet we are too greedy, lazy, short-sighted, and ungrateful not to destroy:

A new Atlas of Kent's Shieldbugs and Allies is a project being supported by Kent Field Club, and driven by a group of Field Club members. More info on our website - www.kentfieldclub.org.uk/projects/shi.... #KentNature #Bugs #Hemiptera @britishbugs.bsky.social

FRIENDS OF THE CRAY AT CRAYFORD - removing litter from along lower River Cray. Due to Easter, we've moved our usual session forward to Mon 30/3. Meet at 10am where Footpath 106 meets Barnes Cray Road. We'll check grot-spot at junction of Byway 105 and Maiden Lane then move to Footpath 106.

Just been alerted to FREE Bumblebee ID event Thurs 26/3 at Bexley Central Library, then Braeburn Park (Crayford). Apparently only 3 sign-ups so still time to book before you go to bed .... FFI / book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bumblebee-...

The Nathusius' pipistrelle is one UK bat species that is known to migrate long distances across Europe. This makes them vulnerable to habitat loss and other threats across their migration routes.

“Sustainable” timber isn’t always safe. Forests are being destroyed, Indigenous communities displaced and critically endangered species like the Malayan tiger are under threat. Demand the UK government takes action @friends-earth.bsky.social action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/sto...

Next #ThamesRdWetland @thames21.bsky.social staff-supported habitat management session 13/3. Help finish this winter's Reed cutting and remove prev cut material. Kit provided. Basic refreshments. Nearby loos. Sign up: book.plinth.org.uk/e/LFbuahHJmC...

Foots Cray Meadows - Reedbed management with Thames21, 4/3/2026. 09.30-12.30. Please book online to take part. Working in the river in waders, so a reasonable level of fitness required. book.plinth.org.uk/e/bP12dwwvkN...

It arrived today. Very proud to have been able to make a teeny-weeny contribution to this superb new book. #ukorthoptera #orthoptera

🥳🌱New Paper!🌱🥳 Check out how we have been working with our friends at Fjordr to detect historical locations of floodplain meadows using physical and documented traces in the landscape, suppporting the case for restoration. 👇 tinyurl.com/y8frpr2h

How exciting! Published tomorrow. It'll be great! #naturewatching #lowcarbon @heatherdevey.bsky.social @rebeccaonthewing.bsky.social

Jelly Ear fungus, 13/2/26, on typical host, Elder, #ThamesRdWetland managed by @thames21.bsky.social Next staff-supported habitat work 13/3. If you can do gardening you can do this. All kit provided. Refreshments. Nearby loos. Meet new people. Get close to nature. book.plinth.org.uk/e/LFbuahHJmC...

14/2 a Mottled Shieldbug (Rhaphigaster nebulosa) fest #ThamesRdWetland SMINC, London Boro Bexley, managed by @thames21.bsky.social 3 of the 4 under loose bark on Elder damaged by fire 2022. First found UK 2010. Next staff-supported habitat management session 13/3 book.plinth.org.uk/e/LFbuahHJmC...

Nice article on how pet flea & tick treatments end up in rivers: the-european.eu/story-57030/...

This fabulous book arrived yesterday and I’ve already read it pretty much from cover to cover. I normally prefer audio books and can’t think of another physical book I’ve read so comprehensively for literally decades. Congrats @graemelyons.bsky.social: a fantastic achievement.

A worry when key wildlife land, most of Inner #CrayfordMarshes, Site of Metro Importance for Nature Conservation in GBelt, goes up for sale esp as next to site I manage. Despite Agent spin, Local Plan (2023) does NOT earmark for development (aggregates, building). £500K way down on 2022 ask. Donors?

#ThamesRdWetland @thames21.bsky.social Largely sunny 30th Jan. 8 volunteers did 36 person-hrs 45 mins cutting Reed, pollarding Sallows. Red Kite seen. Sign-up for our next staffed sessions, Fris Feb 13th + Mar 13th book.plinth.org.uk/e/LFbuahHJmC... All kit provided. Basic refreshments. Nearby loos.

Gardens & Allotments 🌸 Private green spaces are vital for urban pollinators. New research shows both support high diversity, with non-native flowers filling summer nectar gaps. Join Emma Plant in our FREE webinar on 22 April. 🌍 🧪 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1964456916... @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social

From concrete to climate resilience 🌧️🌱 The Depave Oswestry project is helping turn hard, paved spaces into greener places that soak up #rainwater, support #wildlife and reduce flood risk — all shaped by local community ideas. Read more 👇 https://ow.ly/o6Ft50Y8fH9#rainwater#wildlife#Depave #UrbanNature #Oswestry

Friends of the Cray at Crayford - February litter-clearing session switched to Friday the 13th. Meet where Footpath 106 meets Barnes Cray Road at 10am. Equipment provided.

The European polecat is found across western Eurasia and North Africa. They were persecuted as being a pest animal in Britain, first declared as such under the reign of Elizabeth I. Due to hunting by farmers their numbers dropped significantly, but have been steadily returning in recent decades.

For #WorldWetlandsDay, we're shining a light on four of the 25% of Britain's threatened spider species that are wetland specialists. They're entirely dependent on aquatic habitats remaining wet, unpolluted and growing, not shrinking, in size and connectivity @naturalengland.bsky.social

Britain’s largest beetle is changing its range 🪲 Learn what a century of records reveals about UK stag beetles, where they’re holding on, where they’re declining, and what this means for conservation. 🌍 🧪 FREE webinar, 12 Mar 2026. 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1975613846... @ptes-org.bsky.social

New UKCEH research shows UK saltmarshes are significant carbon sinks, storing ~6.5 t CO₂e ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, comparable to mangroves and seagrasses. Saltmarshes aren't yet included in the UK GHG Inventory, but the evidence base is strengthening. Read more: www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med... 🧪 1/

"[A new British intelligence report] echoes warnings some of us have made for years, only to be dismissed as nutters, doomsayers and extremists." "Every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse...” You won't find more crucial reading than this.

East or west? Tracking work from 2017-2020 by BTO staff provided the first evidence of Scottish breeding Arctic Skuas wintering off South America! Other individuals wintered along the western and southern African coast. #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

This is amazing news Hannah. I very much doubt that this would have happened without your advocacy and doggedness. 👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉 Thank you!

At the UN climate talks, our govt kept quiet on a long-promised law to help end UK’s role in illegal forest destruction. I’ve emailed the Environment Secretary to demand urgent action to protect our forests. Will you join me? @friends-earth.bsky.social action.friendsoftheearth.uk/target/deman...

Sunny day at #ThamesRdWetland Solo Reed work + removing rubbish left by fly-grazers 😠 3, poss 4 Water Rail, Teal, 2 Cetti's warblers, 2 Song Thrushes, Water Vole signs. New volunteers welcome at our @thames21.bsky.social staff-supported event on Jan 30th. Sign up: book.plinth.org.uk/e/FJvrhxZVIv...

Curculionidae of the World Online has moved to a new URL: catalog.curculionoidea.org The old URL can still be accessed. We are working on a better and more detailed representation of the relationships between weevils and their host plants. Expect some really nice things in the near future!

Are you spotting orchid rosettes in your area? Would you like to be able to recognise native orchids before they come into bloom? Try this helpful #WildFlowerID guide which Mike Waller of @ukorchids.bsky.social fame created for @nhm-london.bsky.social: www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/id...

Did somebody mention basal rosettes? Check out the fabulous Basal Project website, it has almost 2,000 photos of basal & juvenile leaves of British & Irish wild plants: basalproject.org.uk