Delighted to spot this pristine Brown Hairstreak butterfly this morning in the Lye Valley, Oxford, the first adult I've ever seen there! #Recorded #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotos #inverts #OX3 @friendlyevalley.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social

Our Grass-of-Parnassus is now carpeting large areas of the west side of the Valley. Henry Taunt (1842–1922), an Oxford based photographer once described them as “like twinkling stars in the shadowy grass”. Seeing them now it's easy to understand what he meant! #WildFlowerHour @judywebb.bsky.social

We've got baby lizards! Likely lots of them! 😍 We spotted three juvenile Common Lizards (Zootoca vivipara) and one adult yesterday in a location in the Valley we've never seen them before. They seem to be doing well in the warm weather... @arc-trust.bsky.social #reptiles #UKWildlife

Rock Edge in Headington is one of the few areas of grassland chosen by @oxfordcitycouncil.bsky.social to benefit from their new "cut & collect" mowing regime. Over time this will reduce the nutrients in the soil, allowing more wild flowers to flourish here. Thanks to ODS for cutting this morning. 🌰🌍

Alice Clark, a doctor and volunteer for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, waits to be arrested as a terrorist for holding up a sign opposing the genocide in Gaza and the proscription of Palestine Action. It is strange with how little note a country may drift into authoritarianism.

#PollinatorPals With its false nectaries, Grass-of-Parnassus flowers must look very inviting to pollinators. However, the plant cheats, and offers very little in the way of nectar to the insects that pollinate it. Here a hoverfly is trying its luck... #insects #OxfordshireFens @judywebb.bsky.social

The "scrapes" we created and sowed with native plants in the amenity grassland at Rock Edge are proving popular with the last of the summer's butterflies. Here a Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is nectaring on the copious Marjoram still in flower. #UKButterflies @upperthames.bsky.social #Oxford

My first post for #FlamingoFriday. Here's a portrait of a Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) preening at Slimbridge Wetland Centre. 😊 #Birds #WildlifePhotos

OK, so it's a dreadful photo, BUT, it's the first adult Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) butterfly we've *ever* seen at Rock Edge. We routinely count the eggs over winter, but until now, the adults have remained elusive... #UKButterflies #UKWildlife @upperthames.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social

This is amongst the most impactful two minutes of broadcasting I’ve ever seen. By Emma Murphy, International Editor, ITV News. #Gaza

For #InternationalOwlAwarenessDay, here's my all time favourite photo of a Little Owl (Athene noctua) taken on the plains near Torresillas de la Tiessa, #Extremadura, SW #Spain. What's not to love about them? #WildlifePhotos

I prosecute and defend the most serious sexual offences in our courts. The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative. Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.

Here in landlocked Oxfordshire, we have no chance of contributing to the #ByTheSea challenge. Instead, we'd like to offer this dew covered Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris). Vulnerable in England and Rare in Oxon, we currently have hundreds maybe thousands in flower. #WildFlowerHour #Fens

Wasp Spiders (Argiope bruennichi) are continuing to spread. We saw two females with webs within 40cm of each other this week. Although not new to the site, iRecord says the grid reference is outside known modern range. #insects @britishspiders.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social

Great to spot this fresh Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly in the Valley this morning. Not seen many here this year. Is anyone else seeing them? 🤔 #UKButterflies #inverts #UKWildlifePhotos #recorded @upperthames.bsky.social

Some of our earlier flowering plants have already set seed. Here, one of our volunteers doing a first sweep for ripe Ragged Robin, Yellow Rattle, and Tufted Vetch seed to spread in new areas once the fen has been scythed off at the end of the season. #OxfordshireFens #FenPlants #FenRestoration 🌍

And they didn't link the crowdfunder... I despair for journalism. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-save-...

Though we say so ourselves, the west side of the Valley is a real head turner at the moment. Masses of the nationally Near Threatened Parsley Water-dropwort contrasting with Purple Loosestrife and a few of our early Grass-of-Parnassus flowers adding to the mix! 😍 #WildFlowerHour #OxfordshireFens

⏳Final week to sign up to the Green Party. 🗳️ Vote for Bold Leadership on August 1st.

The first of our Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) aka Bog Star is now in flower. We're one of the most southerly sites for this plant, and thanks to our ongoing #FenRestoration work we have the largest population of them in Oxfordshire. 😍 🌍 #WildFlowerHour #OxfordshireFens #FenPlants

Ummm. Imagine such sentences for raptor persecution on a shooting estate, or for river pollution, habitat destruction or felling enacted by a farmer, large landowner, private company, council contractor or developer? What could POSSIBLY be the diffence I wonder? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Blue dasher landing. For fun, I love to photograph dragonflies in flight, so the season just started. Thanks for looking! #bugsky #dragon #dragonfly #ontario #canada

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) resting on a water lily in our back garden this morning. Caballito del diablo rojo descansando sobre una flor de nenúfar en nuestro jardín trasero esta mañana. #inverts #odonata #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotos @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

The Valley has been awash with butterflies this week. Mostly Whites, with Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Meadow Browns and a pristine Painted Lady and Holly Blue. Few of them wanted to pose on our flowers, but here's a Green-veined White (Pieris napi) on Tufted Vetch. #UKButterflies #inverts #UKWildlife

Brilliant statement from the Durham Miners Association on why Reform is not welcome on the platform for the Durham Miners Gala https://www.durhamminers.org/statement_durham_miners_gala_and_reform_uk

Quite a few of these attractive Rose Chafer beetles (Cetonia aurata) in the Valley this morning, making the most of our copious Meadowsweet flowers. @coleopsoc.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social #Inverts #Coleoptera #WildWebsWednesday #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotos #WildFlowerHour

Our Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris) have been stunning this year. Originally a small colony mostly confined to the east of the Valley, thanks to our ongoing #FenRestoration work, they've spread and this year we probably have over 2000 flower spikes! #HelleborineChallenge #WildFlowerHour 🌍

Black-tailed Skimmer at Lakeside at lunch time #Dragonfly #Bugsky #UKWildlife

Our Ragwort plants are looking a "little the worse for wear" thanks to the massed ranks of Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae) moth caterpillars in the Valley. This plant has been completely stripped of leaves and flowers! 😃 #WildWebsWednesday #inverts @upperthames.bsky.social #MothsMatter

Some female Crab spiders have the ability to change colour to match their background, making them a formidable ambush predator of pollinators visiting flowers. This one, waiting on a Marsh Thistle in the @friendlyevalley.bsky.social not so much... 🤣 #inverts #UKWildlife @britishspiders.bsky.social

More usually found in flowery grassland, Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) butterflies do occasionally visit the fen. This one stopped on some of our abundant Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil just long enough to have its photo taken. @upperthames.bsky.social #inverts #UKWildlife #OxfordshireFens

We seem to have lots of Scarlet Tiger (Callimorpha dominula) moths in the Valley at the moment. Is anyone else seeing more than usual? #inverts #MothsMatter #UKWildlife #30DaysWild 📷 @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

The first of our Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris) are *just* coming into flower. Near Threatened in England and Scarce in Oxon, they're flourishing here thanks to our conservation work. 😍 #WildFlowerHour #Orchids @bsbibotany.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social 🌍

Our Bog Pimpernel (Lysimachia tenella), is coming into flower carpeting increasingly large areas of fen year on year. Scarce in Oxon and vc23, it's doing well here thanks to the continuing scything and raking of our tireless volunteers, giving it the open, wet conditions it needs. 🌍 #WildFlowerHour

The weird and wonderful Puss moth (Cerura vinula) caterpillar. This one is still tiny (around 1cm or so). They look much more dramatic as they grow bigger! @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social #inverts #UKWildlife #TeamMoth

Delighted to spot this juvenile Ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus) in #Monfragüe National Park, #Extremadura, SW #Spain. A protected species here, the adults can grow up to 90cm, and is Europe's largest lizard. Sadly, I haven't seen an adult for over fifteen years now... #herps #reptiles 🐍

Waste not, want not! Something I've never seen before, a Mullein moth (Cucullia verbasci) larva eating its own shed skin! #inverts #30DaysWild #UKWildlife #TeamMoth #UKButterflies #BackGardenSafari @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Small Heath | Níspola (Coenonympha pamphilus). A common enough if inconspicuous butterfly, but one I have very photos of. I spotted this one sheltering from the midday heat in #Cornalvo Natural Park, #Extremadura, SW #Spain. #inverts @europebutterfly.bsky.social #butterfly #WildlifePhotography 📷

Just spotted my first Scarlet Tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula) of the year, happily flying along a street in East Oxford. It was the flash of red I noticed, that I couldn't quite make into a butterfly... #MothsMatter #UKWildlife 📷 @upperthames.bsky.social #Recorded

Saint Mathieu lighthouse. It was built in 1835 among the ruins of the ancient Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre in Finistère. Now an historic monument, and open to the public. [📷 taken from @brittanyferries.bsky.social Santoña] #PharosFriday #Lighthouse #France #Brittany

One of a pair of Little Ringed Plover | Chorlitejo Chico (Charadrius dubius) spotted foraging along the shoreline of a reservoir in #Monfragüe, #Extremadura, SW Spain. Incredibly raucous for a relatively small bird! #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2025 #Wildlife 📷

This Little Bittern | Avetorillo común (Botaurus minutus) may not have been exactly skulking through the reedbed, but it was doing a great job of staying hidden most of the time! #Arrocampo, #Extremadura, SW Spain. #BirdsSeenIn2025 #birds #WildlifePhotos 📷 @everyheron.bsky.social

Lyme disease... my wife had ticks on her legs today, despite wearing long trousers. Always check for ticks. I had Lyme disease, with long term consequences. You really don't want it. Pass it on, please, if you can. Thanks 🙂 @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

In #LyeValley #fen, our Common Cotton Grass translocation a few years ago is going well. A wetland plant rare in Oxon, it's great to see cotton wool ball seed-heads gently swaying in a breeze in an area they may not have been for 100 or more years #Oxfordshirefens @freshwaterhabitats.bsky.social

TANK vs TESLA "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again" - ⁠WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank

Delighted if surprised to spot this male Giant Peacock moth (Saturnia pyri) in #LaRioja, Northern #Spain. The females are even bigger apparently! #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #Inverts 📷 #NaturePhotos

Look carefully! Our Marsh Valerian (Valeriana dioica) is just coming into flower. It's Near Threatened in England, though doing quite well here in the Valley, and isn't Scarce throughout Oxon. #TinyPlants #WildFlowerHour #EnglandRedList @bsbibotany.bsky.social @judywebb.bsky.social #OxfordshireFens

Whilst the Headington Shark is one of Headington’s best known local landmarks, let’s not forget the Headington Whale (in nearby Kennett Road), which is coming along nicely too! @magnuswdhh.bsky.social #headingtonshark #headingtonwhale @headingtonnews.bsky.social

We spotted this Cramp Ball fungus weevil (Platyrhinus resinosus) wandering over a volunteer's fleece! Cunningly disguised as a bird dropping, its larvae live in the Cramp Ball aka King Alfred's Cakes fungus (Daldinia concentrica). #invert #WildWebsWednesday @judywebb.bsky.social