Massive loss of peat on the tops of Cantref near Brecon (Wales). Good to see actions to restore the system. It will take many many years…

On route to #TwynMwyalchod in the #BreconBeacons cotton grass blowing in the cooling breeze.

Great idea @rspb.bsky.social www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...

Amazing video showing the secret life of the Silver-studded Blue

So pleased to be inspiring people! That’s why I’m on social media: to inspire & raise awareness of issues, nothing more, nothing less!

A show of wildflowers in my suburban meadow garden. Inspired by @duncanwestbury.bsky.social #wildflowershow #wildflowers #wildflowerhour #NoMowMay

“Duncan you inspired me to add pollinator plants to my veg garden and this is the result! I love it, thanks!”

Very easy to grow more Lady’s Smock plants from leaves. This time I kept moist on a piece of kitchen towel in a takeaway tub with the lid on. Then, when with roots, a light scattering of compost, still kept moist & more compost added over time. @plantlifeuk.bsky.social

So frustrating, some people just hate vegetation and this is becoming frequently common. Big impacts on street scene too.

“Native bee populations across India are visibly in retreat” www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-bio...

In a meadow near you…

Oil Palm is not going away. Last week I submitted my concept note (research proposal) to a colleague at the University of Malaysia, Sarawak, all about helping to TRULY make oil palm production more sustainable. @sustainablepalmoil.bsky.social

So very sorry to hear of the passing of my PhD supervisor Prof. Nigel Dunnett, whose life was cut far too short at the age of 63. It was Nigel that put me onto using yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) as a tool for grassland diversification back in 1997. sheffield.ac.uk/architecture...

Imagine what £250k could do for wild pollinators rather than increase honeybees that impact them. #PublicBeeWashing www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

One of my favourites, Bugle (Ajuga reptans) naturally in our meadow.

This is so wrong, filling gaps in an old mixed hedgerow with laurel. #BanLaurel

At this time Dr Robin Blake was our PhD student studying the diversification of existing grass buffer strips with wildflowers. He presented at the Butterfly Conservation conference and won an award for best student presentation. The true award was meeting Sir David Attenborough!

Today I was blown away by just how dense the blossoms were on this Hawthorne! Imagine the berries!

Spot the difference! A new addition that all wildlife Gardens need.

Lots of Lady’s smock allowed to flower in this road verge thanks to this sign.

One way not to manage your field corners…

A quick tour with commentary along our #WildflowerStrip

If I’m not caring for wild pollinators in my garden, should I really expect them to turn up to help me with my fruit production…?

Two broods of starlings this year in our #WildlifeGarden

Wildlife Gardening sometimes has to have a compromise, a path through a meadow so you can enjoy it. One for the botanists…look at the quality of this path though!

This sown grass ley does very little for biodiversity, but luckily some unsown charlock (Sinapis arvensis) has stepped up for the bees & other beneficial species.

If you haven’t got enough tomato plants, pinch out side-shoots from your plants and place in a cup of water (out of direct sunlight). After a week, you will have roots! You can then pot on but keep very moist for the first few days.

Waiting for a gust of wind….

Useful guide:

Finally got some to grow in our garden! Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea).

Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)…avian architects … they use their beaks to sew plant leafs together with plant fibers, spider silk, or insect cocoons…tropical Asia. #birds #nature #wildlife #photo #ecology

Niche to meet you!

PSA: The Dawn Chorus Club is officially open. 🤩 From now until Dawn Chorus Day, join in with daily side quests and meet some of the voices of the dawn chorus...as we get ready to get up with the birds on 3rd May. Who's in? And who's sleeping through it? #DawnChorusClub

54 wild clary plants introduced thanks to students at the RAU! @gloswildlife.bsky.social

Patch dynamics in our #WildlifeGarden

Fantastic, already for the 54 plug plants tomorrow!

A #WildlifeGarden to be proud of.

Last year I collected seed of Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca) from a remnant patch at the RAU in Cirencester to create new patches to reduce risk of loss. Next week a new patch will be planted with plugs once the sward is cut very short & raked off @gloswildlife.bsky.social

I love getting home now in daylight hours to appreciate the nature in our garden @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Had a nibble of this tonight, remarkably does taste like beef & onion!

Lovely buds! Wild service tree in our garden, painstakingly grown from seed several years ago. @wtscotsocial.bsky.social

Are you able to identify which bluebells are the native English variety and which are the more vigorous Spanish bluebell? This might help. Also, use your nose. The English bluebells have a sweet scent, whereas their Spanish cousins have little to no scent.

Scarce in Cheshire, this tiny fragment of ancient woodland survives in a steeply sided clough. Yesterday for #wildflowerhour it was looking glorious with carpets of Bluebells, Wood Anemones & Greater Stitchwort also combining so beautifully with the Bluebells!💙🤍 #woodlandplants

This image from a grassland perhaps in Oxfordshire was taken by my late Uncle in the 1960s. A field of cowslips being picked and enjoyed by many! No agri-environment schemes then! @plantlifeuk.bsky.social

Not long before our #bumblebird patch will be delivering once again!

As a young child I remember going into a field in our village to pick a handful of these for my Mum. Now I only collect the seed from those in our garden & share them with friends & family.

A species exploited by humans for sport that has no place in my #WildlifeGarden

An ancient woodland indicator, Wood anemone. Why? Because it mainly grows vegetatively and spreads slowly. Every year I take a photo of this same patch. Photos below from 2026, 2023 & 2017

This new advice will sound familiar to older folk, as strong rule until 1990s was to only feed birds in winter. That changed when birdfood industry started wagging the dog, seeking huge commercial growth. Now we've got mass disease & waste. And not one species of conservation concern has benefited.

#PondView - wildlife ponds supporting only native plants in and around the pond brings something special!