I had a nice lunchtime walk at work. With a bit of pond netting. I found a couple of new beetles (for me), Acilius sulcatus and Dytiscus semisulcatus, but also a few newt efts (either Palmate or Smooth newts, can't tell at this stage). And spotted Common Meadow Rue with seed gall

Spot the cattle in the rain! They don't mind, and are over ankle deep in water. They are targeting Common Reed just now (they've also been in the drier Yorkshire Fog and False Oat Grass), which is what we want. To reduce dominance of reed and allow other fen species space.

Yes, 0430 might be a bit antisocial, but how many people actually look up in their garden at night to see the bats that are probably there flying about? I have noticed bats much more since moth trapping. And mothing means you can see some of the beauty of wildlife up close.

I went looking for Dioecious Sedge today, never seen it before, and this site hasn't been well recorded for decades, no luck with that today. Did find good mire habitat, with Marsh Hawk's-beard and Star Sedge and others. May need to go back in 2025. Marley, nr Keighley

Endangered in the UK, Spreading Bellflower was in the churchyard and playground at Spriana. The attitude to wildlife and tidiness is different here, although the large tracts of mountainous land that can't be used by man does help to create a different perception.

Lots of interesting woods near where I'm staying in Italian Alps. But also interesting niches like this slab of sloping stone, full of interesting plants, some that are rare in the UK, but loads that aren't found in the UK. Little hotspots like this can amuse me for ages!

I can thoroughly recommend this path along the side of Lagi Di Poschiavo, so many interesting plants, easy going, and great scenery. And a good local beer at the end in Miralago. And if you are into those kind of things there is a famous railway line on the other side of the lake

A good days work for our volunteers today. Working with YWT. Cutting hay, up on the Sprotbrough Flash Nature Reserve meadow. Then transporting it to another YWT field in Wadworth, spreading it around so hopefully some of the seeds collected will germinate. Interesting work.

Spotted a few things around Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - Potteric Carr today. Comma caterpillar on Wych Elm, Trifid Bur-marigold, a mite gall on Yellow Loosestrife, and Knotgrass Leaf Beetle. Finding things you aren't looking for is a nice bonus for the day.

A few arable weeds on the margin between a fen I manage at Denaby Ings and the neighbours field of potatoes. Marsh Cudweed, Common Fumitory, Fat Hen and Marsh Yellow-cress escaping from the fen into open ground. Not my usual habitats to search.

I've just set up monthly BIOSCAN in the UK trap at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - Potteric Carr If the biting flies that were getting me whilst setting up, and the numbering the trap after only a few minutes, is anything to go by then I'll have hundreds or thousands of things to sift through tomorrow!

Parsley Water-dropwort is a rare plant near us (and nationally). But Common Reed needs controlling here, and I think there has been a little collateral damage, nibbled by cattle, or trampled. But it's still flowering and seeding, will graze later on rotation to allow more seed.

Life finds near endless ways to be weird! I collected this Fox Moth caterpillar from @WildKingsdale the other week as it had larvae emerging from it (whilst still alive!), they pupated and just emerged as adult parasitic wasps! I'll send them to the county recorder for ID

Want to make a difference to wildlife in Yorkshire? Why not become a trustee of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - follow us on Bluesky 🦋 As a naturalist I'd love it if you were one too 😜 but people with all kinds of organisational experience are also needed. ywt.org.uk/blog/yorkshire… The Wildlife Trusts

I'm thinking about trying a different social media platform, there seem fewer and fewer people (that I want to hear) on Twitter. But the key thing is a critical mass of ecologists/naturalists/land managers, I'd like to hear from a range of views on the topic Any recommendations?

Well what a beautiful day for the Don Gorge volunteers. Working with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust cutting back self seeded saplings and grass on the meadow. Also trimmed back growth on the access track up from the gate on Nursery Lane.