Lovely day ‘working’ surveying springs on Aroo, Co. Leitrim today. Was very cold and wet (‘summer’?) but we were rewarded with abundant Saxifraga azoides, a nice area of Seligeria oelandica and of course mounds of golden Palustriella commutata.

Delighted to share our paper of developing a framework for peatland restoration that works with communities. Open access: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/re… Community Wetlands Forum LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature FarmPEAT Project Wetlands International Europe Peatlands Gathering PeatlandConservation re-peat.earth Dr. Kate Flood Abbeyleix Bog

Family climbing on southern sandstone today and nice to catch up with Pallavicinia lyellii looking lush with all this wet weather. But even better was my first Purple Emperor in the woodland on the walk to the crag. Stunning butterfly and an unexpected find.

Nice office today surveying petrifying springs for NPWS. Pity I forgot swim stuff..

We are starting another season of Cork Harbour I-WeBS counts this weekend. While we have a team of regular counters we are always looking for additional volunteers to help out. Please contact me if you are interested. BirdWatch Ireland National Parks and Wildlife Service

Postdoc opportunity: modelling spatial and temporal dynamics of grain aphids and their associated crop pathogen. Collaboration between Teagasc and Sch. Biol. & Env. Sc (AgriAdapt project) Details: drjonyearsley.github.io/agriadapt.html Teagasc Tillage Team Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The liverwort Pellia endiviifolia in a petrifying spring today - illustrating its ‘endive’ name with lovely winter branching.

Job opportunity @UCD: modelling grain aphids and their associated crop pathogens. Deadline 2nd Oct 24 Details: drjonyearsley.github.io/agriadapt.html BES Quant. Ecology BES careers All Island Climate & Biodiversity Research Network

Last NPWS petrifying spring survey of the season today - what better location than the sunny Burren. Delayed by a cracked rib and car trouble, but scraped a finish before the end of September as planned 😀

The reason I have a brown dog 😂

Still a few spaces left at #BSBIAutumnMeeting if you hurry! It's this Saturday, at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, and it's absolutely free (although donations are always welcome!) Book here but do it soon please: tickettailor.com/events/botanic… BSBI Ireland

A petrified welly on fieldwork today! (It was below a waterfall which is a petrifying ('tufa') spring, and so had become encrusted with calcium). This is a very rapidly tufa forming system. Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Managed to miss all the Northern lights this year, so fantastic to see the comet from Dublin this evening Jon Yearsley

Following others (finally) I’ve joined Bluesky. @joannedenyer.bsky.social. Hopefully see some of you over there 😀

This is a quick survey on why people choose to study plant science. Fellow botanists do fill it out, especially field botanists. I'm not sure if I went to university now that I would end up on the same path, because of changes to field teaching at universities.

We had the first Irish Bryophyte Group field meeting of the season last Sunday (17th Nov). An area of private ancient oak woodland, with some wet woodland, in Co. Wicklow. I'm going to be mostly posting on BlueSky from now on - come on over!

A great group travelled from all over Ireland to join the Irish Bryophyte Group meeting in the Wicklow Mountains on Saturday. Lots of nice upland bryos found and definitely a site to re-visit.

The Irish Bryophyte Group had a lovely weekend recording with Chris Preston on 8 & 9 March. On Saturday we recorded at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly. Great to see the The Leviathan of Parsonstown (telescope) and lovely old oaks. Several new vice county records made (hopefully!).

The Irish Bryophyte Group were joined by Chris Preston on Sunday 9th March to record on the shores of Lough Ree nr Lanseborough, Co. Longford. >10 new vice county records (to check). Highlight was Cian's find of Rhodobryum roseum which is rare in the midlands (and the sunshine!)

Very determined and wet bryologists for the Irish Bryophyte group meeting in Killarney yesterday. Despite the soaking we saw lots of lovely species - Ulota hutchinsiae, Grimmia ramondii, G. lisae, Campylopus setifolius, C. shawii, C. gracilis, Schistidium strictum etc.