@sarahlambert7.bsky.social
Freelance botanist / plant ecologist / naturalist - supporting nature recovery in Cambs and Lincs. Keen photographer sharing stories and images from the natural world. BSBI recorder for South Lincolnshire and leader for Wildlife Travel.
In Peterborough Lesser Chickweed is one of a frequent assemblage of winter-annuals including Rue-leaved Saxifrage (a rare species back in the 1980s) particularly associated with moss on pavements and walls - other species found in this habitat include Parsley-piert and Little Mouse-ear...
Can you find any wild or naturalised plants that have white blooms? That’s the #wildflowerhour challenge this week! Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #WhiteFlowers. Happy flower hunting!
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
I have worked with them in the past - I helped run a training event at Peakirk churchyard as part of the JCC initiative. I don’t know of a group offhand though there are some very keen people in Bainton!
Beautiful botanical @theguardian.com country diary today by @sarahlambert7.bsky.social
#naturewriting #countrydiary
I’m bringing some botanical trainees to the churchyard this afternoon - hopefully they’ll find it as inspiring as I do!
Happy Birthday!
Could well be birds - locally it doesn’t seem to fussy about soil type pH - lack of competition / open structure and summer parching seem to be key factors. It’s easily overlooked. Once I’d got my eye in I found it frequently in urban areas but usually from March to May.
Very frequent in open structured mown grassland in Peterborough and S. Lincs, and on the tops of old limestone walls.
I agree - the best churchyards are a wonderful marriage of nature and culture…and primroses containing genes from garden plants seem perfectly appropriate
I'll be leading a wildflower walk with local resident Julie Stanton at 2 p.m.
www.villagetribune.org.uk/event/bainto...
A wonderful display of Primroses at St Mary's Church in Bainton, where a Primrose Festival will be held on 30th March. They grow alongside plants of old unimproved grassland such as Hoary Plantain and newcomers such as Siberian Squill. All welcome!
Names in ALT
#wildflowerhour #signsofspring
Subtle spring flowers (plus a gratuitous toad) - catkins of willows and poplars outshone by drifts of sweetly-scented blossom
From top left: Common Toad, Hornbeam, Grey Poplar, Aspen, Goat Willow, White Poplar, Lesser Spearwort, Hazel, Cherry-plum...
#wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
A minor car-crash means I'll be staying local for a while (no damage to me luckily) - but I found treasure on my doorstep during an afternoon walk to Thorpe Hall - a group 17 Cedar Cups - and quite a lot of holes suggesting others may have already been eaten by squirrels...
#fungifriends
I love Saltfleetby - great botanically too with so many Marsh Helleborine!
The frog frenzy has abated but the first Common Toads of the year have now arrived and are sharing the ponds with a satisfyingly large number of Smooth Newts. So pleased to see high numbers of amphibians after last summer's prolonged drought...
#wildlifegarden #amphibians
It's definitely been a big emergence day - a couple seen from the car this morning, one in our garden at lunchtime and probably about four on the wing at Castor Hanglands this afternoon!
A Skimmia, possibly S. japonica
Our naturalised Snowdrops are now pretty much over, but a couple of clumps are still in flower and have some rather attractive variation in the green markings on the inner petals
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
In many parts of eastern England, villages are far more plant-rich than the surrounding arable. A cool and rainy walk round Witham-on-the-Hill produced 151 taxa, including a good population of Toothwort which only has 2 post-2020 sites in VC53. Names in ALT
#wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
A spring-like feel on my walk in Old Sulehay NR today. Primroses in full bloom; over 70 plants of native Stinking Hellebore (much increased following management by @wildlifebcn.org); Spurge-laurel in the scrub and my first white Sweet Violets of the year.
#wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
1st March -the start of meterological spring - and it certainly feels like it in our wildlife garden - frogs purring in the pond (c.70 clumps of spawn so far) and the first Yellow Rattle seedlings in the mini-meadow - looks as though it's going to be a good year for it despite the moss takeover...
There were eight over our Peterborough garden a few days ago - they nest quite close to us too!
The long-footed fly Syntormon metathesis was a nice find from Burwell Fen, an area of fen restoration adjacent to Wicken Fen NNR. Added to the British list in 2023 from Norfolk and Kent. All known sites are high-quality wetlands, mostly spp-rich fen. Apparently the first record from the Cambs Fens.
It’s great to see lots of new followers & interaction with #wildflowerhour! 🥰 If you are new it’s so easy to join in! Find wild or naturalised blooms (not planted ones) from across Britain & Ireland & share during the magic hour Sunday’s 8-9pm when we have a proper planty party!! 🎉🌿🌸
A few hours around Crowland Abbey, Lincolnshire (last recorded by me in Feb 2015) produced a bunch of new hectad records including Glory-of-the-snow and Grey Field-speedwell in the churchyard - lovely to also find Sweet Violet and Common Lungwort in flower.
@bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflowerhour
An hour spent recording in West Deeping (VC53) on Wednesday, a particularly raw and grey day - highlights were flowering Butterbur (a scarce species locally) and the distinctive and delicately shaded seedlings of Fern-leaved Corydalis, new to the vice-county
#wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Starting the year's moth trapping with a pristine Oak Beauty - what a stunner!
#mothsmatter #teammoth
A few more spring flowers to brighten up an utterly cold and miserable February day (though all are looking rather rain-speckled) - Early Crocus, Primrose, Winter Aconite and Corsican Hellebore - all found in local churchyards
#wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Peak snowdrop time in South Lincolnshire and Peterborough - filling churchyards and popping up on lots of country road verges. Straightforward Snowdrop is most frequently encountered, but Greater Snowdrop and Green Snowdrop seem to be increasing locally
#wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
