Linda Pryke

base of a mature beech tree set in grassland, with spring bulb flowers- Daffodils, Crocus and snowdrops around the roots

omigosh I so love this tree. Mature open-grown Beech, allowed to reach its full potential and utterly glorious every day of the year <3 #tree

Photograph of the surface of a pond, occasional emergent green shoots sticking up, a sprinkling of bright green duckweed like confetti and four clumps of healthy-looking frogspawn.

Bright & sunny, wrapped-up warm to catch-up with a dear friend & green urban spaces. Some years this little ponds' been heaving with frogspawn (60+ clumps). Maybe a bit early, but i fear harsh management has thinned, opened-up and removed surrounding cover for adults #Freshwater #Pond #Amphibians

View of river with wooded banks. An old fallen oak tree stretches out from the nearside riverbank into the channel.

Todays wander was Hersham Riverside on the banks of the Mole. The fallen oak has lasted another winter. Not sure if its the wisdom of age, or cowardice stopping me yielding to the temptation to try a walk along its trunk into the waterway. #Eeeksplash #Freshwater #rivers #Elmbridge

View into deciduous woodland in springtime, with waterlogged ground, a sprinkling of fresh green leaf shoots and a wisp of white tree blossom in the background.

Stuck indoors with a rotten cold, but happily looking ahead and planning this years' field-trips. Looking forward to paying a return visit to Newdigate Brickworks for dragonflies and a myriad of 6-legged critters. #Worldwetlandsday #Surrey #Odonata #Entomology #Biodiversity

Wintery view of extensive pond with mature oak tree in the foreground, reflections of trees and sky in the water.

One of those 'bitmurkybutgladiwentout' days. First visit of the year to West end Common, Esher. 5 ponds, each with its own personality and interest. Halfpenny pond looking peaceful now, will be alive with frogs and toads soon enough. #Elmbridge #amphibians #Freshwater #ponds

View of a windy, frosty path, bounded by woodland and mature oak tree. Clear blues sky with oak trees casting strong shadow.

Well worth braving the chilly air for a glorious walk this morning on Bookham Commons. #wildlife #woodlands #Countryside

Fascinating Flies by Rory Dimond following Hampstead Heath Survey AGM Following the AGM, Rory Dimond explores the incredible life histories of flies and their importance to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Attention fly folk (and anyone into things with wings..) www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fascinatin...

BDS Annual Meeting 2025 - British Dragonfly Society Online event open to all.

This Saturday (15th Nov) it's this years' annual gathering for dragonfly nuts. Online, instead of in-person, so theres' bags of room for everyone! (and less queueing for teas and the loo) #Dragonflies #Odonata #BiologicalRecording #Freshwater #Invertebrates
british-dragonflies.org.uk/event/annual...

me, with two people in glorious, iridescent dragonfly costumes behind me. beautiful clear blue sky beyond.

at the WWT Barnes for the dragonfly festival weekend- awesome, elegantly graceful stilt walkers put in an appearance now and again.

still river with sky and cloud reflected in foreground, wooded riverbank in background.

Hackney Marshes today.

view of a bridge over a vegetated river, wooden reception area in the background.

looking forward to hunting out some dragonflies today at the beautiful Painshill Park. warm intermittent sun and barely a breeze, so fingers crossed there’ll be plenty to show my guests.

emerging damselfly, half- out of its nymph shell, clasped onto a blade of an emergent plant

lovely start to the week at FSC Preston Montfort, #damselflies #odonata emerging. so aware of what’s around, even when only just out, they’ll hide behind blades of grass if the think you’re a predator.

Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly perched in a shrub.

can’t claim the credit for spotting it first, but broken my duck- first sighting of the year- Beautiful Demoiselle at Tolworth Court Farm this afternoon #Dragonfly #odonata

green hillside with London’s buildings in the background

moved the office outdoors for a lunchtime meeting at Brockley Park

Footpath with steps leading upwards between banks of plants considered wees, such as dandelion, bramble, nettle, White deadnettle, Green Alkanet.

In celebration of weeds! Nature reserve on reclaimed landfill performs gloriously at this time of year, buzzing with life. #Biodiversity #London #wildflowers

Our first post on Bluesky - a georgeous female adder basking, celebrating all the hard work and efforts by our partners and volunteers on the Cannock Chase National Landscape adder conservation project to create and connect habitat including some rather impressive hibernation structures.

Pathway through woodland, tall trees barely in leaf, sunshine shining through. Ground layer is bright green bluebell leaves.

Worm surveys near Gatwick today, an absolute joy, sunshine and birdsong amongst the almost bluebells. Lots of other woodland flora though- Violets, Primroses, Moschatel, Dogs' mercury, Arum leaves.

natural history museum , pat therough the garden leading to the main entrance, clouds beautiful steel grey, setting off the warm honey facade of the building.

first one in the gate this morning at the NHM Kensington. got a bag full of dragonfly exuvia and a day with a microscope. at the front of the queue enjoying warm sunshine.

a grey and white long-haired cat sitting on a photograph and partially completed hoverfly cross- stitch design drawn onto graph paper.

The meowse. Having heard about the importance of the creative muse, Ian has decided to help me with the crossstich design process.

Really enjoying the British #dragonfly Society spring meeting. Interesting and inspiring to see surveys, research and methodologies used across the channel. #Odonata #Biodiversity #Freshwater #Insects

Brilliant series of talks this morning, looking forward to what the afternoon brings.

Footpath at the edge of woodland, Old oak tree in the background, frothy white tree blossom in the foreground.

Making the most of todays sunshine, out for a walk on the National Trusts' Bookham Commons. Primroses and Celandines, occasional Bee flies and and solitary bees. The woods to the north look as though there will be plenty of Bluebells in due course.

View of pond with muddy bank in the foreground, some shoots of reedmace emerging from the water, abundant clumps of frogspawn floating on the surface.

The resilience of frogs never ceases to impress. Most of the pond edge trampled by dogs, theres' invasive Crassula and Parrots feather. This year theres' more spawn than ever, and frogs shamelessly and joyfully bonking in the middle of it all. #Freshwater #Ponds #Amphibians

haha damsels done, now chewing through dragons.

view from inside the house looking out of the window through vertical blinds. light wispy cloud in a blue sky, grass long and green. the cat is also indoors, perched on his tower, looking out.

Chained to the desk today writing belated dragonfly reports. Hoping to earn my freedom for a day out tomorrow, as the wild stuff seems to have woken- up to be counted.

Photo of the surface of a pond with thick clumps of frogspawn in the foreground, further back the trees and bright blue sky is reflected on the water with bright green duckweed patches and short emergent vegetation poking through.

SPRING has SPRUNG! and it's pancake day and the sun is shinin and theres frogspawn in the pond!! some days are really just bloomin fantastic. (some days can be awful though- I hope wherever you are, something will make you smile today). #amphibians #frogs #freshwater #ponds

i’ve found that i’ve personally gained by adding ALTtext to my own posts - it’s’ made me more appreciative of my own pics- what am i posting? and what is it about the pic/ subject that captured my interest to share it.

Male and female black-tailed Skimmer dragonflies, locked together head-to-tail mating, resting on sandy soil.

Couldn't let #valentines go by without some #dragonfly loving. Black-tailed skimmers Orthetrum cancellatum sure live in the moment, locked together, crashing through the sky at great speed, bouncing off anything that gets in the way.

weather dull, Ben in waders, thigh deep in a vegetated river, holding a litter picker and joyfully grinning.

when it comes to #litterpicking on Molesey Heath, Ben sets the bar high.

A lovely male tufted duck photographed at Hampstead Heath in January. It is floating in a greenish pond, and is mainly black with white on the side of his abdomen. His head is black with some purple irridescence, his beak is grey and his eye yellow. He is facing to the right.

Hello Bluesky! We've just joined and are looking forward to meeting likeminded societies and people!
The LNHS is a local natural history society concerned with recording the wildlife of London, covering a 20-mile radius from St. Paul's Cathedral. #UKWildlife #LondonWildlife