Steven Wright

Brimstone in the hedge?

A notable increase in Clouded Yellow sightings in the past week. Are in for a Clouded Yellow year?
@migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Small blue butterfly with wings open catching the sunshine on dry, beige grass

Small blue with wings 3/4 open on a grass head. Just a glimpse of the legs and antenna.

A surprise butterfly on today’s transect walk! Was delighted to spot this Small Blue - only my 2nd record for this site 🦋😀 A very dark and fresh looking specimen! #butterflies @ukbms.bsky.social @keithwarmie.bsky.social

Hope it finds a mate and there's some larval food to lay eggs on...

A rainy day hiding in hides at Brandon Marsh today. Fleeting glimpse of 3 Otters otherwise not much else of note apart from decent views of Great White Egret and Green Sandpiper. @warwickshirewt.bsky.social

It's drought tolerance has served it well this year

The reserve has stayed relatively lush. The knapweed and St.John's wort have deep roots and everything is well established. It's on Lias clay.

Ave atque vale at #AshlawncuttingLNR. Everyone agrees that despite the date there's an Autumnal feeling. Worn and bleached butterflies are flying though including a female Silver Washed Fritillary that came close. I was hoping to find onethis afternoon. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

😍

White Knapweed flowers at #AshlawncuttingLNR @wildflowerhour.bsky.social . We could hardly be further from the sea!!

Today at #AshlawncuttingLNR we cut and raked this recently thinned bank starting the process of grassland creation and opening up access to the boundaries of the reserve.

Congratulations to William Brame @landguardbirder.bsky.social for realising this was a different white butterfly. Now confirmed by @chrisvanswaay.bsky.social as a Southern Small White - the first seen in England. As it is a female let's hope it has been laying eggs. @matthewberry.bsky.social

Any ideas or help with ID welcome @upperthames.bsky.social . ?

Chalkhill Blue in cop

Adonis Blue male

Silver Spotted Skipper

Common Blue male and female

Added Adonis Blue and Silver Spotted Skipper to species sighted in '25 . Aston Rowant NNR today in better weather than was forecast. @upperthames.bsky.social

Common Blue male #butterfly perched on tip of a #YorkshireFog inflorescence.
Some Lawn Care cos (NOT Lawn Association!) call this native an invasive grass in lawns 🙄.. it's the main food plant of 4 different butterfly species!
Don't seek their advice if you want nature to thrive! #Grow4Nature

It's not just nature reserves that are good for butterflies,this herbal ley with legumes,Melilot, Clovers, Sanfoin and Birdsfoot Trefoil . with wide margins with Knapweed was doing the business today. #Northamptonshire @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Err the other left. ...Right

Slighly left of centre and bottom half? I can't zoom on this steam pc.

I've had Clouded Yellow here in October for the last 2 years and thought it worth a walk round today despite this morning's light rain. When it stopped the sun came out and it was all yellow. They must be breeding here. #Northamptonshire @savebutterflies.bsky.social @carrie321.bsky.social

I won't spoil it for everyone else.....

Common Blue

Gatekeeper

Silver Washed Fritillary

Pellucid hoverfly

Meanwhile .... @savebutterflies.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Cutting through to the boundary at the top of the linear urban reserve #AshlawncuttingLNR we found another strip has been annexed. Also removed a van load of fly tipped rubbish.
#cvonservation #volunteers back to dig out the Bamboo later!!!

Motherfucking wind farms…

@wildlifebcn.org Summer Leys today, @britishspiders.bsky.social #conservationgrazing

Wind turbines are so ugly,go for shale

World of Change: Athabasca Oil Sands The Athabasca Oil Sands are at once a source of oil, of economic growth, and of environmental concern. This series of images shows the growth of surface mines around the Athabasca River from 1984 to t...

earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-cha...

Painted Lady butterfly basking on a concrete wall with a park and urban buildings behind

Our partners at Pesticide Action Network UK have uncovered that 354 tonnes of pesticides were sprayed in towns and cities in 2024.

We are in a #ButterflyEmergency, with long-term declines that need us all to take action to reduce the use of harmful chemicals, councils included.

So sad to see it come to this...

Priority areas include this ephemeral pond with its collection of Sedges and plants like Birdsfoot Trefoil and Fleabane. It's a hot spot for Common Blue and was nearly lost to Bramble encroachment.

Getting into a routine a year on at Kilsby Lane LWS,Rugby. Revisited areas cut a year ago. We're going to priorise maintaining cut and collect on some areas. Others will be cut to control encroaching scrub.