Prof. Jeff Ollerton

Here's a sneak preview of the latest Pollinator Project! It's going to be something special. Welcome ProPollSoil on board!

Insect poop is key for soil health. Much more key than mammalian poop. Insects are now declining much faster than human children can grow up and develop. Massive extinction debt. When we lose biomass faster than species - it's worse than the other way around. Ecological worst case.

🌱 Meet us at European Mission Soil Week 2025!

Join SoilWise on Day 1 of the Mission Soil Project Trail 🌍

🔎 Data users: explore FAIR soil data for better decisions.
📊 Data providers: make your data discoverable!

#EMSW2025 #MissionSoil #SoilWiseProject #SoilData #FAIRdata #SoilHealth #HorizonEurope

Connecting soils and pollinators: the ProPollSoil project kicks off in Germany! The ProPollSoil project officially got underway on 1st October, and this week (16th–20th November) our consortium gathered in Freising, Germany, for the kick-off meeting hosted by the Technical Uni…

The #ProPollSoil project has officially got underway, coming together to explore two big questions: How does the health of our soils shape the fate of #pollinators? And how do pollinators influence #soil health?

Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...

#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil

🌿 Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 🌿

Join leading researchers sharing evidence-based insights on ponds, pollinators, fungi and urban mammals. Coming up on 14th Jan.

More details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...

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I sometimes worry that Bluesky is going to go the way of Twitter and be taken over by anonymous, hateful trolls who don't know how to discuss, only insult.

"I am a biodiversity prof, I know ethics better, I should lead the discourse of environmental conversations with Chinese government, disregarding the fact that they have a long history of censoring public opinions on env conversation"
UN says no, you clown🤡.

You mean "unfounded".

I'm actually a Professor of Biodiversity, and if #biodiversity is not a political subject, I don't know what is....

You know precisely nothing about me or my work or my "exposure" to those subjects and your view of biology is incredibly narrow minded.

What's your point? Every country in the world has arrested environmental activists for one reason or another.

My pleasure Gwen!

Pollinators and politics in China Last week I returned from a 14 day visit to China to colleagues at the Kunming Institute of Botany in Yunnan, part of a three-year commitment to working there that I documented on the blog last yea…

Pollinators and politics in China:

jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/14/p...

#China #Bees #Pollinators #Biodiversity

AI at the crossroads: can ChatGPT turn you into a statistical Robert Johnson? When is comes to the statistical analysis of data, I know my limits. Maths was never my strong point at school or university, and my approach has always been to keep analyses as simple and straight…

Recently I've been carrying out more complex statistical analyses & understanding those tests on a much deeper level than before. Why the over night change? What does this have to do with a legendary #blues musician? Read on:

jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/11/a...

#ChatGPT #AI #ecology #biodiversity

Smart cutting system used by female sawflies could transform surgery and reduce patient harm Scientists at Heriot-Watt University have unlocked the secret behind how female sawflies make specific cuts to plants—a discovery that could revolutionize surgical instruments and dramatically reduce ...

Another superb example of #biomimicry reinforcing the intrinsic significance of protecting all biodiversity including the newts, bats & invertebrates demonised as barriers to development by Rachel Reeves

As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.

phys.org/news/2025-10...

Hopefully of interest!

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Pollinators and Pollination by Jeff Ollerton A bumblebee flies away from the viewer towards clover flowers.

Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews.
#Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
#InsectBookClub

@jeffollerton.bsky.social

Thank you!

Utterly thrilled with Jeff Ollerton's review of Urban Plants: "So do yourself a favour and take a walk with Trevor through the complex ecology and botany of built-up British landscapes. I learned a lot from Urban Plants and I highly recommend it as an addition to anyone’s Christmas list."

Book review: “Urban Plants” by Trevor Dines Earlier this year I received an unexpected invitation from Bloomsbury Publishing to attend a book launch at Philip Mould’s gallery in London. Looking at the details I immediately said yes, be…

Review of "Urban Plants" by Trevor Dines, the latest addition to Bloomsbury's British Wildlife Collection.

What did I think of the book? Find out here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/10/16/b... #ecology #biodiversity #botany #wildlife #plants #NatureWriting

Do birds pollinate the iconic Golden Lotus? A new study suggests that they do! The Golden Lotus (Musella lasiocarpa) is one of China’s most iconic plants — a striking member of the banana family (Musaceae) that seems to bloom forever. Its brilliant yellow, lotus-like bracts h…

The Golden Lotus is one of China’s most iconic plants — a striking member of the banana family with a connection to #Buddhism.

Despite its fame, a mystery remains: what actually pollinates it? A new study implicates #birds as the #pollinators - read more here:

jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/10/14/d...

It worked in SW France conditions, thanks Jeff !

Excellent, I hope that you enjoy them!

Frank Abernathy's waited a long time for food.

From "Radio Go!" - listen now at radiogo.show

Producer Tom's booking practices are... questionable.

From "Radio Go!" - listen now at radiogo.show

Radio Go! 2: Painting in Heaven, with Stevie Yardy as Crystal Peaks

A medium by the name of Crystal Peaks (@marvelousmrsyardy.bsky.social) lets Riley in on the secrets of the afterlife, but a supernatural disaster brings an unexpected visitor. Plus, Tom calls in a favour.

Listen now at radiogo.show or on your podcast player!

Sloe gin is traditionally made after the first frosts have 'bletted' the fruit, but we pick them earlier and put them in the freezer. Some recipes suggest adding sugar but we prefer it without.

It's easier to ferment first, which softens the flesh and makes it much easier for the stones to be removed. But you could take out the stones and it should still work.

It's been a great year for sloes, the hedgerows are packed with them. But you can make so much more than sloe gin with these wild fruit!

Just opened my first batch of salt-fermented sloes for this year. Follow this link for the #recipe: jeffollerton.co.uk/2020/10/03/r...?
#wildfood #foraging