Sam Thomas

Family portrait: Ranunculus reptans (L), R. x levenensis (C) & R. flammula (R)

Rooting at nodes - all in reptans & most in the hybrid

The lakeshore home of all three

With scale. R. reptans has flowers less than 5mm across

Ranunculus x levenensis with parent spp R. reptans Creeping Spearwort & R. flammula Lesser Spearwort on a Cumbrian lake shore. The hybrid has larger flowers & broader lamina than reptans with linear leaves. R. reptans has few GB locations, often ephemeral being introduced from the arctic by birds

Alt text - Limonium recurvum subsp. crigyllensis - A small, multi-stemmed plant with lilac flowers growing among a carpet of red and green vegetation

Alt text - Limonium procerum subsp. procerum - A small, multi-stemmed plant with lilac flowers growing among a carpet of red and green vegetation

Alt text - A composite image showing a individual plant of Limonium recurvum subsp. crigyllensis against a grey background with a zoomed in section of the scape showing the rough texture

Alt text - A composite image showing a individual plant of Limonium procerum subsp. procerum against a grey background with a zoomed in section of the scape showing the smooth texture

Rock sea-lavenders from the Afon Crigyll Estuary Ynys Môn: Limonium recurvum subsp. crigyllensis (with rough scape) described in 2022 by Ivor Rees and only know from this site where it grows with the more widespread L. procerum (smooth scape). @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Four buffy-yellowish-brown stems of a small achlorophyllous plant with drooping, off-white flowers growing amongst leaf litter.

Side on view of a clump of buffy-yellowish-brown stems of a small achlorophyllous plant with drooping, off-white flowers growing amongst leaf litter.

Lateral macro of the flower of a buffy-yellowish-brown achlorophyllous plant. Some petals and sepals removed to show the ovary, stigma and other internal parts.

A screen shot of a key to the British and Irish taxa of Hypopitys monotropa (Yellow Bird’s-nest) from a recent BSBI News article by Fred Rumsey. Text: 1 Floral parts glabrous subsp. hypophegea 1 Floral parts with some hairs 2 2 Stem and external surfaces of flower finely pubescent var. tomentosa* 2 Stem and external surfaces of flower glabrous 3 3 Inner petal surfaces, style and ovary conspicuously prickly hairy, ovary taller than wide, style equalling to exceeding ovary, flower narrowly urceolate, petals usually 11–13 mm subsp. monotropa 3 Inner petal surfaces and other floral parts with scattered prickly hairs, showing various combinations of the characters given above but not all, flower shorter and more campanulate, petals usually 10 mm or less ‘intermediate’ [? sub-var piligera]

Hypopitys monotropa (Yellow Bird’s-nest) from an evening woodland walk. This is subspecies hypophegea which is completely glabrous, often delicate, yellowish with fewer flowers. Now is the time to check the subsp. ID of your local populations with Fred Rumsey's
@bsbibotany.bsky.social News key.

Thanks Tristan

Scheuchzeria palustris. Small, upright plant with narrow, sharp leaves and large brown fruits.

Nuphar pumila. Floating lily-pad leaves and small, yellow flowers in a loch.

A final stop on Rannoch Moor before the long drive south rounded things off nicely with Scheuchzeria palustris (Rannoch-rush) and Nuphar pumila (Least Water-lily). The latter out in a loch and impossible to photograph properly. 5/5

Cerastium cerastoides. A small creeping plant with white flowers against a background of scree.

Saxifraga cespitosa. A small, upright plant with cup-shaped white flowers against a background of moss

Saxifraga rivularis. A small, upright plant with white flowers and lobed leaves.

In a steep gully near the summit were three very rare small plants with white flowers: Cerastium cerastoides (Starwort Mouse-ear), Saxifraga cespitosa (Tufted Saxifrage) and Saxifraga rivularis (Highland Saxifrage) 4/5

Veronica alpina. A clump of delicate upright small plants topped by deep blue flowers.

Poa flexuosa. A clump of grass with drooping flower heads amongst scree

Carex lachenalii. Macro of yellowish brown 'cone-like' spiky flower heads on a grass-like stalk.

Then the big 14 hour day on Ben Nevis with many amazing alpines including: Veronica alpina (Alpine Speedwell), Poa flexuosa (Wavy Meadow-grass) and Carex lachenalii (Hare's-foot Sedge) around Coire na Ciste 3/5

Carex buxbaumii. Several 'catkin-like' or 'cone-like' green and dark brown seed heads

Carex buxbaumii. Several 'catkin-like' or 'cone-like' green and dark brown seed heads

Carex salina. An upright grass-like plant with 'catkin-like' or 'cone-like' green and red brown seed heads and papery old male flowers at the top.

Between Mallaig and Fort William I dropped in on two very rare sedges: Carex buxbaumii (Club Sedge) and Carex salina (Saltmarsh Sedge). The latter only discovered in the UK in 2004. 2/5

Koenigia islandica. Macro of a very small seedling with oval green and reddish leaves against a background of gravel.

Ligusticum scoticum. A small plant with reddish stems and umbels of small white flowers against a grassy background.

Ligusticum scoticum. An umbel of small white flowers against a black background.

Scotland trip started on Skye: Koenigia islandica (Iceland-purslane) only just germinating and the weather too bad for Arabis alpina on the Cuillins. However, Ligusticum scoticum (Scots Lovage) was looking lovely at Armadale. 1/5

@bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

Just back from a mostly productive botany trip around western Scotland, still need to edit the plant photos so here's a delightful male Snow Bunting singing on the summit of Ben Nevis in the evening sunshine.

Thanks Jen

Composite image of the title and introduction of the paper with one of the figures showing the head from above. Text: Philotelma parvum (Kramer) a shore fly (Diptera, Ephydridae) new to Britain from the New Forest National Park SAM J. THOMAS Hayling Island, Hampshire; sjthomasbotany@gmail.com Summary Philotelma parvum (Kramer, 1917) (Diptera, Ephydridae) is recorded for the first time from the British Isles, based on one specimen taken in June 2023 from the New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England. The identification and distribution of P. parvum are discussed. Introduction A single male Philotelma was swept by the author from the margin of Hatchet Pond in the New Forest National Park in June 2023. The specimen keyed to Philotelma parvum (Kramer, 1917) based on the revision of the genus by Mathis et al. (2009). This identification was confirmed by examination of the male genitalia. A review of published distributional data (Mathis et al. 2009; Zatwarnicki 2011), the most recent update to the checklist of the Diptera of the British Isles (Chandler 2024) and consultation with UK experts (Martin Drake and Tony Irwin, both 2024 pers. comm.) shows this specimen to represent the first record of P. parvum in the British Isles.

Received the pdf of my paper adding Philotelma parvum to the UK list in the upcoming issue of Dipterists Digest. A rather obscure little Ephydridae (shore fly) collected from the New Forest, emphasising again the importance of New Forest mires for rare Diptera
drive.google.com/file/d/1FCwH...

Anterolateral macro of a mostly blackish fly with patches of silvery dusting, orange hind legs and orange areas on the head

Very unexpected & rare: Anticheta obliviosa female #Sciomyzidae from saltmarsh on Hayling Island, Hampshire. Previously known in the UK from fens around Huntingdon and singles from Cheshire and Yorkshire - all inland. Nice find for a quick evening sweep
#ento #diptera @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Lateral macro of a very small brown-grey fly with green eyes

Glenanthe sp. female from Hayling Island the other day. A very small saltmarsh #Ephydridae with distinctively 'upside down pear' shaped eyes. Likely G. ripicola but can't rule out G. fuscinervis without a male.
#Diptera #ento #macro @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Lateral macro of the empty puparium of a large robber fly. A elongated papery structure with large horns at the front and rings of spikes towards the rear.

Almost forgot #WorldRobberFlyDay but luckily reminded by @flygirlnhm.bsky.social. Here's the puparium of Laphria flava (Bumblebee Robberfly) collected from a pine log in Abernethy Forest a few years back. @dipteristsforum.bsky.social #diptera #ento #macro

Chlorops varsoviensis a pNationally Scarce #Chloropidae of upland marshy areas.
Now added to the (slowly) growing Chloropidae UK Flickr group. Please add any relevant identified photos or message me and I can help add them www.flickr.com/groups/14873...
#diptera #ento @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Lateral macro of a grey fly with elongate mouthparts

Macro of a fly wing showing venation and dark markings

Rhamphomyia maculipennis, a costal #Empididae with two dark marks on the wing in females, from Hayling Island today.
#diptera #ento @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Face on macro of a black and orange-brown wasp with large jaws and curled antennae

Swift moth caterpillar-eye view of a female Alomya debellator wasp - a specialist parasitoid of root-feeding Hepialidae which it hunts in the caterpillar's underground burrow.

Some exciting new ID webinars on tricky plant taxa I'm organising over the next few months

Composite microscope image of the male terminalia of a cranefly dorsally and ventrally. Dicranota subtilis (Pediciidae)

Composite microscope image of the male terminalia of a cranefly dorsally and ventrally. Erioconopa trivialis (Limoniidae)

Composite microscope image of the male terminalia of a cranefly dorsally and ventrally. Gonomyia dentata (Limoniidae)

Composite microscope image of the male terminalia of a cranefly dorsally and ventrally. Ormosia pseudosimilis (Limoniidae)

A few pics of cranefly male terminalia from Ben Lawers last summer. Part of an occasional effort to produce decent images for these as I often find the line drawings in the book difficult to interpret.

Not a group I know well but let me know what you need, I've followed you back

Extremely nice habitat, montane Salix scrub and species rich tall herb communities. I've had two of them in this sample and I know Steven had it as well. These were swept, haven't got round to the Malaise sample yet. Will pop it on iRecord for you once I've finished the sample.

Lateral macro of the head and thorax of a orange-brown fly with large black bristles

Scoliocentra flavotestacea female #Heleomyzidae from Creag an Lochain, Ben Lawers last summer. An uncommon species according to @suillia.bsky.social great ID resources available here: dipterists.org.uk/heleomyzid-s...

Botanists surveying an urban/ post-industrial site in South Wales

We're proud to be 1 of 10 UKTEPoP partners who today published a joint statement pledging our commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion in UK species monitoring schemes:
jncc.gov.uk/our-work/ukt...
We need to better understand how biodiversity loss is impacting under-recorded areas & communities.

Very cute, yes Flops is also keen on grasses, particularly Lagurus ovatus

Yes, one leg down but still manages to be everywhere all the time

A three-legged black and white cat on a work desk with a computer monitor showing NYPH feeds in the background

Flip-Flop taking his #NewYearPlantHunt 2025 Support Team role very seriously this morning - at the ready to identify any tricky plant finds @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Thanks, these aren't really resolved on the BSBI database either so would still have needed a decision. Look forward to the full vascular plant update

All my old posts imported last night so there will be some timeline confusion. Yes, Angel Lane, it's quite frequent in London now and there was lots of it on that roof

The Afrotropical manual is probably the best source for up to date anatomy and terminology, available free online