🌊🐝 Thanks to everyone who joined our coastal wildlife walks between Limeslade Bay & Langland Bay today! Wind, rain (and a stop at Forte’s ☕) in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon. Highlights: a female Black Oil Beetle, 14+ bee species, plus reptiles & other invertebrates. A fantastic day 💚

🌙 5 spaces have become available on tonight's guided walk at Eaglesbush Valley Local Nature Reserve, Neath. If you're interested in joining us as we explore the ancient woodlands at night, book your FREE space in the link below. 🔦 🔗 Book your place here: www.trybooking.com/uk/GEJE

🚨 April events update! 🚨 Our next 3 events are now fully booked - thank you! 🙌 Join us to explore wildlife at Parc Melin Mynach (formerly Mountain Colliery) & take part in #CityNatureChallenge 🌿 📍 Parc Melin Mynach, Gorseinon 📅 25 April 🔗 www.trybooking.com/uk/GDTW Spaces are limited.

🪰 Plenty of Dark-edged Bee-flies out at Cwm Tips today ☀️ These fuzzy flies are nest parasites of ground-nesting bees, taking advantage of the strong mining bee population on site — a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Who doesn’t love a Bee-fly? 💚 #BeeFlyWatch #BeeFly #CoalToNature #GloiNatur #CwmTips

Spring is an ideal time to start meeting moths. Here are the common ones. Blog at vitrealis.blogspot.com/2026/03/intr... @dorsetmoths.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social #teammoth #moths #naturewriting

🌿 Great to welcome Heledd Fychan (Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central) to Cwm Tips today. We discussed its importance for wildlife, restoring grassland for the Small Blue, and plans for volunteer days & school visits. Thanks for the support 💚 #GloiNatur #CoalToNature

🐍 Big find at Ogmore Washeries! We recorded an adult Grass Snake today - confirming the species on site for the first time. That means 4 reptiles now: Common Lizard, Slow-worm, Adder & Grass Snake - making it a key reptile site in the Bridgend Valleys. 🌿 #Reptiles #CoalToNature #SouthWales

🌿 Great day exploring the ancient woodland at Coed Bach Park yesterday — thanks to everyone who joined us! We found a great range of woodland wildlife, including the scarce millipede Cylindroiulus londinensis, not previously recorded in Swansea. More events scheduled in April so watch this space

🦋 Our 'Save the Small Blue at Cwm Tips' crowdfund has now closed — and thanks to your amazing support we raised £2,446.83! Thank you to everyone who donated, shared and offered to volunteer. Together we can now begin restoring flower-rich grassland for the Small Blue and other wildlife. 🌼 (1/2)

🪲 Final reminder! Join us for a FREE guided invertebrate walk through the woodlands of Coed Bach Park (Pontarddulais) this Saturday. ⚠️ Only a few spaces left! 🎟️ For further info and booking, visit: www.trybooking.com/uk/FVTB #Swansea #Woodland #Walks #Nature #Wildlife #Invertebrates #Cymru

If anyone from my Wales, peatland, ecology, research, science or nature conservation communities (or anyone else) would like to support, or help spread the word about this crowdfunder for the fantastic Glo I Natur CIC, please do. They’re so close to reaching their target

🦋 Thanks to Llantrisant Community Council for a generous £600 contribution to our 'Save the Small Blue at Cwm Tips' crowdfund! Just £150 to go with 2 days left — help us reach the target: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-s... 🌼 Let’s get Cwm Tips back to looking like this! (as shown in the photo).

🪲 Only 4 spaces left! Join Liam Olds & Carys Romney of Glo i Natur CIC for a guided woodland invertebrate walk at Coed Bach Park, Pontarddulais. Discover beetles, spiders, woodlice & more living beneath the leaves. ⚠️ 2 morning / 2 afternoon places left 🎟️ Book: www.trybooking.com/uk/FVTB

The Friends of Betteshanger have long fought to protect the wildlife of Betteshanger Country Park, a SSSI-worthy colliery spoil site in E Kent. Pls help them develop a new vision for the site by taking this short survey eu.surveymars.com/q/iXYOi3Bnt. @gloinatur.bsky.social #CoaltoNature #CoalSpoil

🦋 1 week left to Save the Small Blue at Cwm Tips! Thanks to your support we’ve already funded scrub clearance to restore grassland habitat. Help us finish strong by supporting volunteer tools, school visits and guided walks. 🔗 www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-s... Every share helps! 💚

🌿 From Coal to Nature Since launching in October we’ve been restoring habitat for the Small Blue at Cwm Tips, making wildlife discoveries on coal spoil sites and leading guided walks. Read our short bilingual blog: www.gloinatur.org/post/from-co... Thanks to everyone supporting us so far 💚

If you missed Liam’s talk, he’ll be leading an outdoor coal spoil walk for us at Parc Melin Mynach, Gorseinon, Swansea on Sunday May 31st. Please subscribe to our Eventbrite page to be notified when bookings open. #CoaltoNature @gloinatur.bsky.social

Liam Olds, founder of Glo i Natur CIC, will be talking about these incredible sites this evening at St Hilary's Church Community Hall, Killay, Swansea. You're welcome to join us at 7.30pm

Final reminder of tonight's talk in #Swansea 🎤 Coal Spoil: Nature’s Surprise Legacy 🌿 Join Liam as he reveals the most surprising and exceptional wildlife found on South Wales’ former coal spoil sites. 🎟️ Book your place: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coal-spoil... We’d love to see you there 💚

🌍 #WorldWildlifeDay Coal spoil & other brownfield sites are vital for wildlife. These overlooked habitats support rare species - some found nowhere else, giving #Wales an international duty of care. Industrial past, global biodiversity future. 💚 #CoalToNature #Wildlife #Cymru #Nature #Brownfield

📣 Featured in Ouest-France! 🇫🇷 Our work at Cwm Tips (Rhondda Cynon Taf) is highlighted in one of France’s biggest papers — showing how wildlife is reclaiming this former coal tip. 🌍 Post-industrial nature recovery matters. 🔗 www.ouest-france.fr/leditionduso... #CoalToNature #CwmTips

Join us tomorrow for this special talk by entomologist and coal spoil nature champion Liam Olds!

@cofnod.org.uk will undoubtedly have a few suggestions. My contribution is Kryptonesticus eremita. Currently only known in the UK from a disused mine entrance on Flat Holm island and a Penarth sewer chamber.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 #DyddGŵylDewi Hapus / Happy #StDavidsDay! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Today we’re shining a light on some of the extraordinary species that make Wales so special - species either globally restricted to Wales, restricted to Wales within the UK, or proudly carrying Welsh connections in their names. #Cymru #Wales #Wildlife

Saw my first butterflies (Brimstone) and bees of the year yesterday, including this male Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipes) at Margam Mine, near Bridgend.

The localised wolf spider Alopecosa barbipes - or Easter Fox-spider - at Margam Mine yesterday. A rather typical species of coal spoil sites in South Wales. @britishspiders.bsky.social

🎤 Talk reminder! Discover the surprising wildlife of South Wales’ coal spoil sites — from the “Maerdy Monster” to the Pyrenean Semi-slug, plus fungi, plants, birds & more. 🎟️ Book: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coal-spoil... #CoalToNature #NatureWalk #Swansea #Cymru #Wales #Nature #Wildlife

🌿 Our first guided walk of the year took place today at Dunvant Brickworks, Clyne Valley, Swansea — with a fantastic turnout despite the rain! We recorded a range of invertebrates, plenty of fungi, and even a Palmate Newt. Supported by Local Places for Nature 2025–27 funding. #NatureWalk #Swansea

🌿 Another welcome sign of spring… The Hazel catkins are out — these dangling tassels are the male flowers. But have you spotted the tiny pink female flowers above them? Seen at Ogmore Washeries yesterday, and a sure sign that spring is almost here 🌸 #SignsOfSpring #Wales #Cymru #Nature #Wildlife

🎶 Have you noticed how much more vocal the birds are lately? 🐦 Today at Ogmore Washeries, we recorded 11 bird species singing in the same area — a sure sign that spring is on the way… and we can’t wait! 🌿 #SignsOfSpring #CoalToNature #OgmoreWasheries #Birdsong #Bridgend #OgmoreVale #Woodland

🦡 A special visitor caught on camera at one of Rhondda Cynon Taf’s coal tips 🦡 This fantastic footage of a #Badger was captured by our volunteer Catrin using a #cameratrap - a brilliant reminder of just how important these overlooked places are for #wildlife. #Wales #RhonddaCynonTaf #Nature

Join our Director @liamolds.bsky.social for what will be a fascinating talk on the biodiversity of coal spoil sites, including the work of @gloinatur.bsky.social ⬇️

Filmed through binoculars (excuse the quality!), this was today’s special sighting at #Pontycymer Lakes, Garw Valley 💙 Once part of Ffaldau Colliery, the lake is now a haven for #wildlife - including Kingfishers, now seen here almost daily this winter. #CoalToNature #GarwValley #Nature #Kingfisher

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

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 💚

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

💧🌿 Today we’re celebrating #WorldWetlandsDay. Globally, around 87% of wetlands have been lost in the last 300 years. In the UK, we’ve lost around 90% in just the last century. Wetlands matter more than ever. (1/3)

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

To mark #BlueMonday, here’s a selection of beautifully blue coal spoil #wildlife. 💙🦋🌿 From shimmering butterflies to striking fungi, these blue species show just how uplifting the natural world can be. Protecting wildlife like this doesn’t just benefit #nature - it lifts us too. #BlueBugs #Blue

💚Diolch!💚 Please share / donate if you can and help us save the ‘Beddau Small Blues’ 🦋🙏💚

💚 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...

🐌🎉 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)

🌿 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. 🗣️

Our new 416pp #FliesofBritainandIreland covering over 1300 species & with over 1500 photos is now being printed - due mid Feb 2026. You can still pre-order until 31 Jan bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @georgemcgavin.bsky.social

❄️ The icy, frosty conditions today are ideal for spotting hair ice — those delicate, silky threads of ice that form on dead wood. This magical phenomenon is caused by a specific fungus, Exidiopsis effusa, which enables water to emerge from the wood as fine strands that freeze into hair-like ice. ❄️

❄️ A new discovery at Cwm Tips ❄️ We’ve been visiting this site for over 10 years - and only just found this new tufa spring, frozen in winter. Formed where calcium-rich water now emerges from the tip, it’s a reminder that these landscapes are still changing. #GloiNatur #CoaltoNature #Tufaspring

We have managed to release some extra tickets for the Gwent-Glamorgan Recorders' Forum 🥳 Join us in Coleg y Cymoedd, Nantgarw on 31st January for this free celebration of Welsh wildlife! Book your space here: ggrf26.eventbrite.co.uk

Adult Neobisium carcinoides on left - immature and adult Neobisium simile on right. Scale 1 mm. Strongly pointed epitome and medially furrowed carapace are useful key features. South Wales speciality. @collieryspoil.bsky.social @sewbrec.org.uk @britishspiders.bsky.social @pseudoliam.bsky.social

Ever wondered what’s beneath your feet? This fantastic map overlays the underground workings of Lady Windsor Colliery (Ynysybwl) onto today’s landscape, revealing the true scale of mining beneath the Valleys and bringing our coalfield heritage vividly to life. ⚒️ #MiningMaps #CoalMiningHeritage