“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.” Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life. Common sense. Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.

100% of ads I've seen for the World Cup are focussed on the US being the host. But it's not, North America is. But as usual the UK is utterly obsessed with the US and is ignoring Canada and Mexico, places that have actually invested and prepared for the event and won't be terrorising tourists.

Ukrainian artist, Nikolai Dovgan

This should be played after every speech these Mosleyites give, should be referenced beneath every column these far-right opportunists exude. bsky.app/profile/gyle...

Such a convincing insect-mimic is this Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera) that a spider has turned up to lie in wait for a tasty lunch 🍽️. My new favourite orchid. Just one of 14 species seen in Kent this weekend with expert help from @mariposanature.bsky.social #wildflowerhour #orchidchallenge

The lady opposite me on the train was reading this. To be fair she was only on the first chapter.

Leading my last group of this run of Junior Botanists sessions in the morning! This is a mixed group of regulars and newcomers, learning field skills, anatomy, how to use keys. I can't wait!

Kenichi Nakaya

Lol just noticed I got banned from this group. The way that beginners get treated is diabolical. We need to include and welcome! We need to educate, not scold people for daring to not already know things.

Day 27 of #Coverbirds! We’re down to the last 5 coverbirds, so I thought I’d throw in one I made in 2023. It sparked an idea for my #birdathon that I’ve finally gotten around to doing. Shouldn’t there be a guide for duck ID based on butts? I think so (1/5) #birds

Hartslock's swarm of Lady x Monkey Orchid hybrids were starting to go over in the hot weather, but they were still as exotic and astonishing a spectacle as always. Some orchid days you search for a tiny flower almost lost in short grass - but not here! @ukorchids.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Slowly working through my reading pile of doom. Top are some I've recently finished. Middle are ones I'd abandoned but am working through. Bottom are possible ones to read next. I redistributed the pile of doom to shelves so this is where I'm sorting them 😅

I keep thinking of the Belgian woman I met on a trail in western Canada last autumn who told me that it's fine but it "doesn't have enough history". And I said there are 15000 years of history in the area that we're standing. She winked at me & said "you know what I mean, that's not *real* history".

It's that time of year again for the annual UK vs US heat event/air conditioning/latitude/old house/mega ego showdown, and as usual everyone is wrong and annoying! A thread about heat and AC in the UK:

Herefordshire river Lugg will take decades to recover from 'vandalism'. The Lugg is home to six protected & endangered species, including common otter, Atlantic salmon, white clawed crayfish, brook lamprey, shad & bullhead... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It's that time of year again for the annual UK vs US heat event/air conditioning/latitude/old house/mega ego showdown, and as usual everyone is wrong and annoying! A thread about heat and AC in the UK:

Clasping Venus' Looking Glass (Triodanis perfoliata) shot yesterday in Whitman. #Bloomscrolling #Wildflowers #Flowers #Triodanis_perfoliata

My most beloved rose of all is David Austin 'Morning Mist' and my first bloom of the year opened today! This rose: -huge single flowers -makes big rosehips, delicious for wildlife & me -grows metres tall but not beastly -doesn't mind the poor conditions I give it -is utterly perfect 🥰 #gardensky

We haven’t imported any energy today and our solar panels have filled up the storage battery we have.

The UK is currently using 66.4% renewables to power the national grid!

I thought I had a witty comment but I'm actually fresh out. What in false equivalency is going on here in delusion town

I can't get over how cold this May is! I had to cancel one of my botany sessions with the kids this week because it was too windy to justify walking in tall trees. Reminds me of a couple years ago when it rained nonstop for 18 months! Anyone else close to putting the heating back on?!

When I say that the botany community in the UK has a real issue with hostility to newcomers, this is a good example of what I mean. I recognised the name immediately as the BSBI person who developed the FISC certification (which I have) and wrote the book on biological recording (which I do).

Three years ago today 🌿 Asclepias uncialis, the tiny Wheel Milkweed, blooming near Timpas #nativeplants

I couldn’t resist returning to the Lesser Twayblades (Neottia cordata) that I saw last week for the #tinyplants challenge. Tiny plants with exquisitely tiny flowers. #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

I'm in a group for UK content creators and many in there do brand work. People may not like it but brands heavily rely on the work of women to provide marketing services and frequently want it for free. The things I've seen in that group are shocking. Every time you hear about greedy influencers...

He's doing this because he saw the sass working for Polanski lol. I'm not mad, we need a bit more energy from these slugs.

Genuinely, why do progressive American talking heads keep totally ignoring the ongoing threats to Canada resulting in a sustained and damaging economic boycott? It's weird.

Repotted my biggest Pelargonium today! I've had it for years and with the pot on the round it's now my height. Not the most floriferous but when it does get going the flowers are perfection.

The sheer number of @inaturalist.bsky.social posts that are random flowers in people's gardens is getting concerning. There has to be a way to remove them en masse. Like community moderators who spot it and flag for removal?

Wes Streeting wants new laws to force your GP to share your medical records. The bill was not in Labour's Manifesto and Palantir has explicitly said, under a new Government, it would be happy to use medical data for other purposes. Be afraid.

Imagine what a non-stop media diet of GB News, The Daily Mail, and Elon Musk's X can do to a person's brain. We desperately need #Leveson2 and proper #MediaReform.

Planning out my Junior Botanists sessions for the rest of May. Continuing to be thrilled by the enthusiasm and learning of kids who are included in and empowered to learn about nature!

One of my favourite places of all the places I've been in the UK.

Weirdly Canadian content for a British local election 😅 (Yes, I did once see a bear at a polling station in Canada)

Chrome is reaching into users' machines and writing a 4 GB on-device AI model file to disk without asking. It is the weights for Gemini Nano, Google's on-device LLM. Chrome did not ask. Chrome does not surface it. If the user deletes it, Chrome re-downloads it. www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-...

Gibraltar dumping all of its raw sewage into Mediterranean

Update: another fantastic group of Junior Botanists. They have keen eyes, they're building up serious knowledge and understanding, as well as gaining experience in assessing sites. Love these kids!

I'm two Dorset orchids in to the summer, I bet get a move on!

Poland is often seen as Europe's coal stronghold. In 2000, coal generated 94% of its electricity. But something remarkable is happening: Coal's share has fallen to 50%. Wind+solar, non-existent 15yrs ago, now generate 1/4 of electricity. More in my newsletter. Sign up here: janrosenow.substack.com

Another day, another day leading a group of Junior Botanists for me! Our regulars and newcomers alike are learning about plant taxonomy, habitat, biodiversity, pollinators, and so on!

We're looking at greens this month with artist Jo Blaker. They are so elusive. Most premade greens are not great. It'll be good to make time to look and swatch the grey greens, the blue greens, the apple greens etc. Suspect layering and mixing will be key.

By now, you have probably heard about the deadly outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, which is a reminder, which is yet another reminder, that we are not in an era of plague, but in an era of plagues.

Feeding signs of Epinotia abbreviana on Wych elm from #Saltholme today. The larva feeds on a leaf before it unfurls from the bud, leaving a distinctive, rather fab pattern of holes, though it's not always that neat. The larva then feeds nearby between spun leaves #teammoth @teesbirds.bsky.social

My kid, researching GCSEs for the coming years: "can I do a GCSE in cheese?"

'Rooks' by Jackie Morris, contemporary artist, author and illustrator based in a little cottage near the sea in Wales #Womensart

The festing anal abscess that is @humanists.uk gets a meeting re: a bill that has nothing to do with them, while the gov has virtually refused to enage with home educators. They know zilch about education or atheists. Is this just to make jabs at Muslims? What is it?? humanists.uk/2026/04/29/n...

This was so fun. What's your UK map? I'm nosy, please show me! For me, blank spots in SW and east Scotland, NI, western isles, and Suffolk. smstone0.github.io#/uk-map