Ian Senior

28/2/26 #OrchidsOfCyprus - Among the many highlights from today; a lovely flavescent example of the endemic #Orchid Ophrys elegans, and a trio of one of Europe's rarest #Orchids, Orchis punctulata

Civilisation is a house of cards. The bottom card is a flower. The card holding that flower in place? A bee. We spend billions searching for life on Mars while actively extinguishing the very life that enables us to exist on Earth. Wake up.

So, any other news yesterday?
Anything important?

Is it a coincidence that on the day Labour scrapped incentives for landowners to sympathetically manage the few remaining wildflower-rich grasslands, including ancient ones...Labour got a drubbing in the polls in Gorton and Denton.

Maybe no direct connection, but the direction of travel is clear.

Long COVID, ME/CFS, and other post-infectious diseases pose new questions for medicine and society. With the long-term data from the NAKO Health Study, Germany now aims to systematically clarify why some infections leave lasting effects and how those affected can be better supported. Post-infectious diseases are on the rise. Infections such as COVID-19 can lead to chronic conditions such as Long COVID or ME/CFS months or even years later, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in Germany. As part of the National Decade Against Post-Infectious Diseases, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) is investing approximately 500 million euros over the next decade to systematically research causes, disease mechanisms, diagnostics, and therapies and to improve care. The NAKO Health Study, with 200,000 participants, provides crucial long-term data and enables a rare before-and-after comparison with data and biosamples from before, during, and after infection. The aim of research is to determine the actual prevalence of post-infectious diseases more accurately, to better understand the underlying biological processes, and to effectively support those affected through targeted interventions in the future.

Exciting to read about some of the expensive ME/CFS & long Covid research planned in Germany (using some of€500 million budget) including that using long-term samples which allow comparisons of samples before and after developing the conditions

www.helmholtz.de/en/newsroom/...

#LongCovid #MEcfs

Sometimes you can see just so many things, and completely miss out on something common that everyone else is enjoying lol. For me it was the yellow centre cannonball fungi. So finding them yesterday totally made my day :)

A moth with a light greyish body and a black tail with three white spots down the side is hovering in front of some clusters of small yellow, bell-shaped flowers. Its wings are a brown blur with bright red-orange patches on the bottom edge. It is a hummingbird hawkmoth and it seems very early in the year for it to be flying.

Somewhat surprised to see this on Sandringham Road, #Norwich today… #moths #teammoth #insects

One of the many benefits of Alder #trees Alder goblet #fungi grow on the old rotting catkins. They are tiny as you can see compared to the moss sporophytes. A similar fungi grows from the rotting cones.

YouTube video by Randy Rainbow The Fate of Melania - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

The Fate of Melania (Randy’s Version) 🧡🎻

Earth's heat to produce electricity for homes in UK clean energy first Water super-heated by rocks will also provide the UK's first domestic supply of the critical mineral lithium.

Earth's heat to produce electricity for homes in clean energy first.The UK's first geothermal power plant goes live, providing a completely new type of renewable electricity using hot water from underground. GEL will also be able to extract lithium carbonate for EVs...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study Changes threaten ecosystems as flowering falls out of sync with fruit-eating, seed-dispersing animals and pollinators

Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study

Eyelash Fungus #FungiFriends

Thanks!

Looks like there's an asco book on the way from Geoff Kibby: 'Cup Fungi and other Ascomycetes' #MycoBookClub www.myko-service.de/p/kibby-g-cu...

Peacock butterfly on snowdrop

Spotted several peacock butterflies today! @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social 🦋

Cool!

A single fruitbody of Sandy Stiltball, Battarrea phalloides, at the base of a hedge. The top is turning grey so it probably emerged a couple of months ago.

A single fruitbody of Sandy Stiltball, Battarrea phalloides, at the base of a hedge. The top is turning grey so it probably emerged a couple of months ago.

Found another new site for Sandy Stiltball, Battarrea phalloides, on yesterday's bike ride.

Usually @vannabartlett.bsky.social finds them but this time I spotted the single fruitbody lurking under a hedge as I cycled slowly uphill.

www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2013/10/13/s...

#Fungi #FungiFriends

Spike of hairy purple tubular flowers with yellow throats. Sand coats much of the flower

Aphyllon cooperi, the Desert Broomrape, blooming along Coyote Creek today. This plant is parasitizing the Cheesebush (Ambrosia salsola) next to it. #nativeplants 🌿

New to me today: the downy mildew Peronospora valerianellae on Valerianella
#WildPlantDisease #FungiFriends

Marsh Clubmoss (Lycopodiella inundata) shoots creeping across a wet, bare substrate. The shoots are bottle-brush like, bright yellow-green with narrow, untoothed leaves sticking out from the main stem.

A series of Marsh Clubmoss shoots criss-crossing the flush, looking like a group of yellow-green centipedes running across the muddy ground

**BREAKING NEWS** - Marsh Clubmoss refound in Dunbartonshire, at a site where it was last recorded in 1854!

Being more-or-less evergreen, clubmosses make great botanical targets all year round. With that in mind, I set out to hunt for Marsh Clubmoss near Inveraran on the shore of Loch Lomond 🧵

They are up at UEA.

A rather nice Ground beetle (Nothiphilus biguttatus) accompanied the Snow Fleas this morning. @norfolknats.bsky.social

The male Snow Fleas clambering over hill and dale this morning at Felbrigg @norfolknats.bsky.social

Cedar cup in grass

Cedar cup found today! #fungi 🍄📷

Hope this series does for water what the Post Office drama did for Horizon victims.

The scandal of privatised water is even bigger because it affects everyone.

The common theme is clear: powerful corporate entities are exploiting us all.

Time to bring water back into public ownership.

Bright magenta flower with yellow throat and purple nectar guides

Diplacus bigelovii, the Bigelow’s Monkeyflower, blooming today in Borrego Palm Canyon #nativeplants 🌿

Five lobed light lavender flower with red stigma and purple anthers and petal bases

Hibiscus denudatus, the Rock Hibiscus, blooming today in Borrego Palm Canyon #nativeplants 🌿

Creamy five petal flower with pollinator

Mentzelia involucrata, the Sand Blazingstar, blooming today at Anza-Borrego state park #nativeplants

Three creamy white flowers on a stem. The stamens are thick with pollen. From Wikipedia: This species is found across western North America from the Pacific Northwest to northern Mexico. Description It is an annual plant growing from a basal rosette of long oval leaves and producing stems often exceeding half a meter in height. Atop the stem is an inflorescence of one to many primrose blooms, each with four white or yellow petals. The pistil may be quite long and has a bulbous stigma at the tip. The stamens are somewhat shorter and they bear long hairy anthers containing white or yellow pollen. The floral axis at the junction of male and female parts is bright red to maroon or brown.

Down view into creamy white flowers on a stem. The stamens are thick with pollen. From Wikipedia: This species is found across western North America from the Pacific Northwest to northern Mexico. Description It is an annual plant growing from a basal rosette of long oval leaves and producing stems often exceeding half a meter in height. Atop the stem is an inflorescence of one to many primrose blooms, each with four white or yellow petals. The pistil may be quite long and has a bulbous stigma at the tip. The stamens are somewhat shorter and they bear long hairy anthers containing white or yellow pollen. The floral axis at the junction of male and female parts is bright red to maroon or brown.

A cluster of both pink and white flowers on a stem. The stamens are thick with pollen. From Wikipedia: This species is found across western North America from the Pacific Northwest to northern Mexico. Description It is an annual plant growing from a basal rosette of long oval leaves and producing stems often exceeding half a meter in height. Atop the stem is an inflorescence of one to many primrose blooms, each with four white or yellow petals. The pistil may be quite long and has a bulbous stigma at the tip. The stamens are somewhat shorter and they bear long hairy anthers containing white or yellow pollen. The floral axis at the junction of male and female parts is bright red to maroon or brown.

A pair of dark blue tennis shoes worn by me that are covered with yellow pollen.

You can’t make it past Browneyes without becoming a very large human pollinator because your shoes will be covered in yellow pollen.

(Chylismia claviformis) 🌿

Top down view into a ball like pink flower with red spots in inside and white pollen covered stamens. From Wikipedia: Eremalche rotundifolia is an annual plant growing to 8–60 cm tall, with rounded leaves 1.5–6 cm broad with a toothed margin. The flowers are dark-pink to lilac with five overlapping petals, each with a dark red/purple spot near the base. When fully open the petals are slightly in-curved, giving the flower a nearly spherical shape. The center contains a ring of light pink stigmas around a group of smaller pink stamens. The leave are round and green with a covering of short bristly hairs, while the red/brown stems have similar but longer hairs. Stems are usually unbranched. Petals close at night, reopening the next morning, and the leaves move during the day to receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

Side view into a ball like pink flower with red spots in inside and white pollen covered stamens. From Wikipedia: Eremalche rotundifolia is an annual plant growing to 8–60 cm tall, with rounded leaves 1.5–6 cm broad with a toothed margin. The flowers are dark-pink to lilac with five overlapping petals, each with a dark red/purple spot near the base. When fully open the petals are slightly in-curved, giving the flower a nearly spherical shape. The center contains a ring of light pink stigmas around a group of smaller pink stamens. The leave are round and green with a covering of short bristly hairs, while the red/brown stems have similar but longer hairs. Stems are usually unbranched. Petals close at night, reopening the next morning, and the leaves move during the day to receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

Top down view into a ball like pink flower with red spots in inside and white pollen covered stamens. Leaves and stems are showing. From Wikipedia: Eremalche rotundifolia is an annual plant growing to 8–60 cm tall, with rounded leaves 1.5–6 cm broad with a toothed margin. The flowers are dark-pink to lilac with five overlapping petals, each with a dark red/purple spot near the base. When fully open the petals are slightly in-curved, giving the flower a nearly spherical shape. The center contains a ring of light pink stigmas around a group of smaller pink stamens. The leave are round and green with a covering of short bristly hairs, while the red/brown stems have similar but longer hairs. Stems are usually unbranched. Petals close at night, reopening the next morning, and the leaves move during the day to receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

Close up of white pollen covered stamens, the edges of the five spots and the petals. From Wikipedia: Eremalche rotundifolia is an annual plant growing to 8–60 cm tall, with rounded leaves 1.5–6 cm broad with a toothed margin. The flowers are dark-pink to lilac with five overlapping petals, each with a dark red/purple spot near the base. When fully open the petals are slightly in-curved, giving the flower a nearly spherical shape. The center contains a ring of light pink stigmas around a group of smaller pink stamens. The leave are round and green with a covering of short bristly hairs, while the red/brown stems have similar but longer hairs. Stems are usually unbranched. Petals close at night, reopening the next morning, and the leaves move during the day to receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

Death Valley #BloomScrolling

Desert Fivespot
(Eremalche rotundifolia)
🌿