Almost got #TheWinter10 in under an hour's dog walk around our local park today for #WildFlowerHour. Red Campion, Carrot, Shepherd's Purse; Wood Avens, Field Forget-me-not, Smooth Hawk's-beard; White Dead-nettle, Yarrow, Herb Robert. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

All I've got for #WildFlowerHour this week is a nice pair of orchid rosettes - a 🐝 and a 🦎. Can you tell which is which? 😉 @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Day 2 of our #AdventCalendar, and it's a Late Spider Orchid seen in Kent - a star of our Orchid Garden of England daytrips. Like several folk who joined us this year, you could say it with flowers this Christmas for the orchid-lover in your life - a daytrip makes a great present!

I think this is a naturalised Adria Bellflower, which I found growing on a wall in Cambridge earlier this week. Lovely little thing! #WildFlowerHour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

#TheWinter10 for this week's #WildFlowerHour: Common Dog Violet, Red Campion; Carrot, Red Clover, Yarrow, Bristly Oxtongue; Ragwort, Black Nightshade, Shepherd's Purse & White Dead-nettle. Getting more difficult!

I got #TheWinter10 walking into work one morning last week for #WildFlowerHour 🙂 Green Alkanet, White Clover, Red Dead-nettle, Shaggy Soldier, Red Clover, Knotgrass; Yarrow, Black Nightshade, Bristly Oxtongue, Poppy. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

I found some Dwarf Mallow for #WildFlowerHour, first time I've seen it in Cambridge.

For this week's #WildflowerHour #TheWinter10 - White Campion, Narrow-leaved Ragwort, Common Toadflax, Bristly Oxtongue, Poppy, Purple Toadflax, Musk Mallow, Black Nightshade, Common Chickweed, Buttercup. Cambridge is still in bloom 🙂 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

A full #TheWinter10 for #WildFlowerHour this evening. Names in ALT text. Love this challenge - it's a great motivator through the winter months... 🙂 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

A few "Halloweenified" #Fungi for #Halloween 🎃👻

Almost to the day, last year, the Cambridge Red Cage fungi were out. They were over about a week ago this year. #WildFungiHour #WildFlowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

A few fungi for #WildFungiHour / #WildFlowerHour... All from our local park. Two years ago I counted over 50 Collared Earthstars! My favourite are the Shaggy Scalycaps, almost over now. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

I don’t know about you but I’ve seen lots of fungi this week, shall we have a #WildFungiHour tomorrow for #WildFlowerHour & celebrate all those wonderful diverse grasslands that ‘flower’ in the autumn too! All the wild blooms that you’ve spotted in the last week are welcome too of course! See ALT ⬇️

For this week's #WildFlowerHour here are a few I've found this week... Some sort of escapee Aster, Common Calamint (could be Lesser, it's quite stunted), Carrot, a rather optimistic Bramble, White Dead-nettle, Herb-Robert, Yarrow & Red Dead-nettle. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Shaggy Scalycap - so cool! They've just emerged in our local Cambridge park. #Fungi #Mushrooms

I found a few Magpie Inkcaps in Thetford Forest yesterday for #FungiFriday...

A few mushrooms from The Brecks this weekend. I've never seen so many Fly Agarics in one place! Sorry @wildflowerhour.bsky.social -I'll be back to normal for #WildFlowerHour next week... 🪻

Still a lot in bloom near Cambridge - all taken on a couple of bike rides. #WildflowerHour Names in ALT text. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

One of the very best days, #orchid -hunting with my good mate and fellow @mariposanature.bsky.social leader @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social in Madeira. We found over 20 flowering plants of European über-rarity, Goodyera macrophylla. A day of amazing plants, great company, good laughs, and muddy boots!

Love the colours of Viper's Bugloss. Quite a few in bloom around Cambs this weekend. #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

How about some Autumn Heather for this week's #WildFlowerHour... Lots of it out around here at the moment. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Bee and Lizard orchid rosettes in our local (Cambs.) country park, getting ready for Winter. I hope there's a little more rain for them next year... 🤞🏻 @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

And finally, a few more #FavouritePlant (s) from this year. Purple Toothwort was a first for me - thanks @rogerhorton.bsky.social for the guidance 🙂 Looking forward to next year, with #TheWinterTen in the meantime... ❄️ #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

I gave in... here's a collection of some of the amazing flowers I've seen this year... Mostly orchids, and I'm not naming them, you have to work it out 😉 #WildflowerHour #FavouritePlant Looking forward to finding them all again, and more, in 2026 🍻 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Difficult to choose a single #FavouritePlant for #WildflowerHour - I usually cheat & post a collage! But, I saw Early Spider orchids for the first time this year. It was a fantastic day out in Kent, and @dunnjons.bsky.social found a particularly stunning aberration.... @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

A selection of #SeedHeads for this week's #WildflowerHour - names in ALT text. I tried to find a few with flowers as well as seeds on the same plant, to add some colour! 🙂 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

I attempted a 🌈 of #Fruits for this week's #WildFlowerHour challenge 🙂 I'm not 100% sure they're technically all "wild", but I needed the colours... 😅 Names in ALT text.

The Common Centaury that grows locally is now past its best, so here is a pic when it was fresher, a few weeks ago... #WildFlowerHour #GentianFamily @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Can you find a flowering member of the Gentian family or Gentianaceae, that’s the challenge this week. Post your finds for #WildflowerHour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #GentianFamily. Happy flower hunting!

I found some Beds. Autumn Lady's Tresses yesterday for #WildflowerHour. It's a happy and sad occasion... I love seeing them - they're stunning - but it also marks the end of the UK orchid season! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

Common Fleabane for this week's #WildFlowerHour challenge - #DaisyFamily. They're a gorgeous yellow 💛

It’s late summer and the Asteraceae or daisy family are looking just splendid. Perfect for this week’s #WildflowerHour! See if you can find one & share your pics this Sunday evening 8-9pm using the hashtag #DaisyFamily. Happy Asteraceae hunting!

For #WildflowerHour this week, here is some Eyebright (possibly Rigid Eyebright?) I was looking for Autumn Lady's Tresses, but they don't appear to be out yet in Cambs. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

The stellar Ghost Orchid hunting skills of @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social on full display this afternoon in the French Alps. Within ONE minute of getting on a new site, he'd found us a flowering plant! There's nobody better at finding these elusive forest wraiths.

@jonheath.bsky.social and I had a great day out in Suffolk, watching the aerial antics of the Zitting Cisticola, then got great views of the juv. Black Stork.

We went to the North Norfolk coast to look for Creeping Lady's Tresses, but couldn't find any for this week's #WildflowerHour challenge, #ByTheSea. So here are some photos of Broad-leaved and Violet Helleborines I found this weekend in Beds. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Just before #WildflowerHour starts, here is another photo I took of some gorgeous Chalkhill Blue butterflies near Cambridge earlier this week... @ukbutterflies.bsky.social @epollard.bsky.social

BREAKING NEWS. This identification has been confirmed by @chrisvanswaay.bsky.social FYI @ukbutterflies.bsky.social @patrickbarkham.bsky.social

A pair of Chalkhill Blue butterflies in Cambridgeshire earlier this week. Lots around 🦋 @ukbutterflies.bsky.social @epollard.bsky.social

Some #DeadNettleFamily plants for #WildflowerHour. Lesser Calamint and Betony from earlier this week, and Balm, Marsh Woundwort, Yellow Archangel, Ground Ivy, Black Horehound, White Dead-nettle, Bugle & Red Dead-nettle from earlier this year 🙂 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

The image for this week’s #wildflowerhour challenge post is one from W. Keble Martin’s classic wildflower guide, The Concise British Flora in Colour. Isn’t it a beauty? There’s some very lovely members of the Lamiaceae or #DeadNettlefamily can you find one for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm?

I didn't get chance to look for Harebells for the #HarebellChallenge, but did find some walnut-sized blackberries along with lovely Chicory and Field Scabious when I cycled along the busway after the rain this afternoon, for #WildFlowerHour 🙂

Thanks to some help...a butterfly lifer! 😊 Chalkhill Blue at Devil's Dyke, Cambs today @epollard.bsky.social @cycle4nature.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Feather-grass is possibly the hairiest plant around Cambridge that I know. Beaten only by Traveller's Joy (but that's only hairy much later in the year!) Great Willowherb, Ragwort, Marsh Woundwort & Common-spotted orchid too. Great #WildFlowerHour #HairyPlants challenge! 🙂

Some are stellate, glandular, forked, simple or branched. What are? I hear you ask! Hairs! This week’s challenge is to find a hairy plant, the hirsuter the better and examine its trichomes! Post your bristly pics using the hashtag #hairyplants for #Wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm

I believe these are the only Marsh Helleborines in Cambridgeshire, for this week's #WildflowerHour- #HelleborineChallenge The Marsh Fragrant orchids were in full bloom, too, and many Scarlet Tiger moths on the wing. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

Dark Red, Marsh, Dune, Green-flowered, Broad-leaved - can you find a flowering Epipactis species for #WildflowerHour this week? If you can, share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #HelleborineChallenge! With special thanks to @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social for this week’s theme!

A few Common Spotted orchids from a local chalk pit for #WildflowerHour. Very low numbers compared to last year, with some of them completely over already. Collage-bombed by a Marbled White, again! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

Best of Cambridgeshire today. Ancient woodlands and chalk grassland. Hot and sunny, though a brisk breeze. First up @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Woods. A bit of a recce for next week's walk. Got very luck with this Purple Emperor, and a Silver-washed Fritillary reading the information board.

No #AquaticPlants for me this week for #WildflowerHour - there's a chance for next week, though... Instead, some very nice Lesser Calamint has just come into bloom in Cambridge 🙂 @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social