Could you become BSBI's new Wales Officer, helping support the network of botanists across Wales & leading our Priority Plants in Wales Project? You'd be helping to conserve rare & beautiful wild plants, like this lovely Radnor Lily. For more details & how to apply, visit: bsbi.org/about/people...

Feel very proud of Indy because today he went to school with my partner to meet the SEND kids in the STF to help them learn about pets and dogs and be comfortable around animals and he was very well behaved and did a great job. I expect the absolute mountain of treats he was bribed with helped

I drive over this road all the time and always think there’s a nice experimental design in waiting here as a result of the road which was slapped through the dead centre of the bog. One side is heavily grazed and one isn’t. Probably one of the only places in the valleys with peat but no conifers.

Make a difference! Join the dynamic and successful NPAP team, aiming for #HighNatureLowCarbon Submit by 1/3/26 £41K to over £44K swyddi.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/vacancyinfor.... Welsh verbal skills required to deal with our valued partners. @natreswales.bsky.social #GreenJobs #jobs #Wales #environment

#InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience Karen Wilkinson, Survey and Monitoring Team Leader for the Peatland Programme is one of the #WomenInScience contributing to future generations, aiming for #HighNatureLowCarbon through #WalesPeatlandAction. @natreswales.bsky.social @iucn-uk-peat.bsky.social

Very emo Sphagnum on site today. Must have heard the rumours of a new my chemical romance album this year and (as I’ve been considering) dyed its hair black like it’s 2008 again. Caused by deposition of organic C and humic acids when peaty water evaporates as far as I know #MireChemicalRomance

Well, here I am, on the fringes of the peat person blob. I’m devastated and shocked beyond words that there is no moss and liverwort enthusiast megacluster. Small consolation that I’m not with the birders

Few upland peat mires remain undamaged by human activity, including afforestation and burning. The, often very small, areas that remain intact are home to some highly specialist spider species

Britain's remaining alkaline fens are small, isolated fragments that are vulnerable to desiccation from drainage of surrounding agricultural land and climate change. Together with Globally Red Listed Fen Raft Spider, many of their specialist spider species are threatened:

The fact that George Osborne and Nick Clegg, two parts of the triumvirate of absolute melts who’s efforts from over 10 years ago still make my life worse every day, have respectively had big roles in Open AI and Meta doesn’t make me have much hope that those companies will ever not be awful

3 weeks since launching our 'Save the Small Blue at Cwm Tips' #Crowdfunder and we’ve raised £915 - nearly halfway! 💙 Thank you for your support 💚 If you would like to donate, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-s... #SaveTheSmallBlue #GloiNatur #CoaltoNature #Nature #Wales #Cymru #Wildlife

I don’t like to use social media to complain but feel compelled to share this photo of the worst cup of coffee I have had for some years, from an event I was at recently. Marked down for taste, smell and general overly oily nature. Well grim. Just look at the sheen on it!

We visited Penyrenglyn Tip today with the students of Black Mountains College (Treherbert), discussing wildlife recording techniques and how these can be used to better understand the biodiversity of coal spoil sites. Great to see the next generation getting hands-on with nature and heritage 💚

Finally updating contact details and affiliations - now "lead specialist advisor" for peatlands at Natural Resources Wales. Get in touch if you want to develop research proposals in Wales. We have sites of ongoing and future restoration, friendly people and so much data...

Lowlight from this week - after it took weeks (or months?) to get installation permission for dipwells off the landowner, i walked the whole site to our pre planned, signed off location that hadn’t been ground truthed, found this grisly scene, at a localised patch of peat too shallow for the well

Some more trial pits and dipwell installations, this time under unexploded ordnance supervision at the Cefn Morfudd Lost Peatlands site. Some great stratigraphy on show in some of them, nice to have some clear bands of soil to point to in the contract specs and PowerPoints down the line

WALES It occurred to me overnight that (more by luck than design) I've been building quite a nice set of work that's an overview of contemporary Wales. It touches on the landscape, the arts, politics and more, and has been totally organic and unplanned. Maybe I should make a plan!

Lunchtime after a morning of excellent talks at Gwent Glamorgan Recorders' Forum

Unofficially repping @adfernatur.bsky.social at the @sewbrec.org.uk recorders forum today. Some great talks so far, including one all about plants so I’m happy! Looking forward to the coal spoil talks in the afternoon

Trawling through old photos and found this of Scytodes thoracica, the spitting spider, from my old flat in Brynmill. In 2020 this was the western-most record in Wales on inaturalist, but someone found one two roads over last year. I’m further west now, I need to find another to get my pride back!

If Bilbo had Chat GPT

Liz Truss waiting patiently by her phone for Reform to ring, not realising it's actually a penguin biscuit

Based on the people I know personally, I assume the 30% brain shrinkage is caused by listening to Joe Rogan www.sciencealert.com/shrews-can-s...

A peatland practitioner will understand the thrill NPAP colleagues get when out reviewing forthcoming restoration sites. Guaduneth, Jen, Jake, Becca you’re an inspiration to us all – not forgetting Rob who captured the up-peat team! @natreswales.bsky.social @iucn-uk-peat.bsky.social #Tywi

I had a wonderful time looking for chough as part of the @gowerchough.bsky.social project last summer - have a read of Mike’s piece to find out more about the work! (and then please help us find some more funding to do it again this year, thanks)

Interrupting your doom-scroll with some moss! Specifically, side-by-side mosses both in the genus Grimmia. 📷 vhamon on iNaturalist 📍 France 🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations... #ObservationOfTheDay

There's a current lack of good documentaries & series in Cymru/Wales which celebrate & investigate Welsh prehistory & early history - to match the excellent English- or dual-language wildlife, landscape and modern history documentaries. More work needed I think...🤔 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

There’s a fantastic photo of a cap woven from Polytrichum commune in Melanie Giles’ Bog Bodies book. I find it really fun that this moss was used to weave a cap that looks like hair, and its common name is haircap moss, but that’s not the reason why it’s just a coincidence!

We're hiring! Could you become our new Wales Officer, lead our Priority Plants Project & support #BSBICountyRecorders across Wales? Apply here: bsbi.org/about/people... Deadline: 23 February Interested but not for you? Please help us spread the word!

Fantastic to hear the biodiversity of coal tips being discussed in the Senedd today, with @gloinatur.bsky.social (which I set up only a few months ago) given a special mention 😌

Proud moment for Glo i Natur CIC today 🌿 Our work at Cwm Tips, Beddau was mentioned in the Senedd by Heledd Fychan MS, highlighting coal tips as havens for biodiversity. Great to see nature and safety discussed together - and even the Beddau Beast got a mention! #GloiNatur #CoaltoNature #CwmTips

A treat at Cors Geuallt! The expertise of Eryri NP’s John Roberts (archaeology) & Rachel Harvey (peatlands) with the creative research and interpretation of artists Manon Awst & Dylan Huw – watch out for their Wales in Venice Biennale 2026 events! @ArtsWales #peatland @iucn-uk-peat.bsky.social

Nice bit of Frullania dilatata that I spotted on a willow in a farm yard waiting for people during peat surveys. Left my hand lens at home and missed the Metzgeria furcata until I looked at the photos. At least I know where it is so I can go back to get some for microscope photos. Love liverworts!

Two Lost Peatlands site visits in two days, this one with worse weather. Nice to see the timber dams holding well and talk to colleagues who may be contract managing about approaches for ECoW and work specs for upcoming restoration sites for next winter. Downside, Indy left his ball on site.

Interesting site visit yesterday as part of Lost Peatlands to try and figure out how we work on part of this site that has unexploded bomb risks, livestock, limited peat, and the drains I want to block are part of a scheduled ancient monument. Luckily we had a good outcome and discussion with Cadw

💚 Huge thanks to everyone who’s donated to our Save the Small Blue at Cwm Tips campaign! In just 24 hours, you’ve helped us raise an amazing £388 towards restoring these special grasslands for wildlife. Every donation truly means so much 🦋🌼 👉 Donate here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-s...

🦋 Save the Small Blue at Cwm Tips 💙 We’ve launched a crowdfunder to restore flower-rich grasslands at one of the South Wales Valleys’ most important wildlife sites. Help us remove invasive scrub and safeguard rare butterflies, bees and grassland wildlife. 👉 www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-s...

#Peat cutting was a big part of #Manx culture, but left it's mark on the hills ⬇️

Really cool find and story from the Glo I Natur guys. Chuffed for Carys and Liam and can’t wait to see what they find next!

🐌🎉 One year ago this week, the Pyrenean Semi-slug (Semilimax pyrenaicus) was discovered new to Britain — found on Cwmaman Tip, near Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf. A small species, but a big moment for British wildlife. (1/7)

Doing some reading on bog bodies (I recommend Melanie Giles’ book by the way) to get me through the flu which has struck me down. Some great author names in the references. I think Peter Vilhelm Glob may go on my list of all time great scientist names, alongside palaeontologist Lowell Dingus.

🌿 Attended the Caerphilly Local Nature Partnership meeting today - the first in 5 years. Great turnout and encouraging work happening for wildlife across the county. We introduced Glo i Natur CIC and are attending LNP meetings across the Valleys over the coming months, with Merthyr Tydfil next. 🗣️

Make a difference! Can you turn complex ecological data into clear insights for Wales Peatland Action? Become our Specialist Peatland Biodiversity Metric & Reporting Advisor! £42K-£46K+ Closes 28/01/26 swyddi.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/vacancyinfor... #jobs @natreswales.bsky.social #HighNatureLowCarbon

It always feels a bit sacrilegious to me to dig trial pits in the bog but needs must to check how deep in the peat the oxidation was at the upper Cwmparc peat site and if we can actually make the bunds we proposed. Several pits and von posts later, I think we can. Here’s the upper 20-30cm ish ⬇️

We're looking at the cultural history of #peatlands on the #IsleofMan for #WWD2026. This post considers the legislation around cutting for fuel⬇️ #yearofmanx

Deadline tomorrow! Remember to submit your £10K-£250K Peatland Restoration Grant application naturalresources.wales/about-us/gra... With the on-line guidance webinar online for any last-minute checks youtu.be/eTIOtUStmPY @natreswales.bsky.social #HighNatureLowCarbon #WalesPeatlandAction

Managed to find some winter sun for site walkovers at our Cwmparc peat restoration site yesterday. Almost immediately after three of my colleagues left, when it had been raining and foggy all the time they were on site. Still nice to not be at a desk even in awful weather!

Of course, presented without comment. I have acquired a new ink for my fountain pen

A bit of snow up on the Bwlch mountain yesterday

Fantastic Data job, making a difference! Go for the Data and GIS Officer role for NPAP, the Programme that coordinates Wales Peatland Action. £37K- £41K+ p/a. Deadline 01/02/2026. Go for it! swyddi.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/VacancyInfor... @natreswales.bsky.social #jobs #greenjobs #environment #GIS