Our Biological Flora on Wood Crane's-bill is out in @journalofecology.bsky.social. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... A team effort w/ @ruthsk.bsky.social @sandravarga.bsky.social @spp-rich.bsky.social @duncanwestbury.bsky.social, irina Tatarenko & artist Lucy Hulmes on pen and ink.

Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: Geranium sylvaticum*

Geranium sylvaticum is a perennial forb of upland grasslands, woodlands and riverbanks in northern Britain, with scattered native occurrences also in Wales, central England and Northern Ireland. It h...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Lots of spring gentian and bird's-eye primrose on show at Cow Green reservoir at the moment, well worth the visit. #Teesdale #TeesdaleSpecialFlora #Teesdaleassemblage #wildflowers #naturelovers

What follows if we imagine rivers as having lives, deaths––& even rights? I wrote this essay about water & hope; imagining rivers “otherwise”; nature’s rights; grammars of animacy; & how our fate flows with that of rivers—& always has. It’s from Is A River Alive? www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

Is this river alive? Robert Macfarlane on the lives, deaths and rights of our rivers

As pollution levels hit record highs and fresh water becomes ‘the new oil’, is it time to radically reimagine our relationship to the natural world?

theguardian.com

www.leuphana.de/en/ Come work in our unique long-term grassland priority effect experiment, POEM, in the beautiful Lüneburg Heathland. PhD position available in my lab to start ASAP to see if sowing forbs or legumes early continues to affect root distribution.

Thrilled to announce my new book & reveal its stunning cover! Ghosts of the Farm - Two Women’s Journeys Through Time, Land & Community, published by the lovely @chelseagreenbooks.bsky.social in the UK & US, on 30th September. Available to pre-order now. It’s a delicious, urgent kind of haunting 1/5

Labour has got rid of CS-mid Tier, and now SFI. These post-Brexit schemes delivered very little, if anything for the environment (and in the case of herbal leys actively damaged it) but channeled Defra funds to farmers, replacing the old EU Basic Payment Scheme. www.farminguk.com/news/fury-as...

Fury as Defra confirms sudden closure of SFI applications

The government has confirmed it will stop accepting new applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme, a move which has sparked fury.

farminguk.com

For those interested in learning why Labour has abandoned the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, this article by Geoff Sansome, who led the farming policy team at Natural England for 7 years, and knows what he's talking about on Agri-Environment, is worth a read. www.linkedin.com/pulse/sfi-de...

The SFI Debacle. Lessons need to be learned, not only in Defra

“Our Agri Environment approach is not sustainable, what happens when the money runs out? If you don’t provide the economic hooks, linking products to the environment then it will all unravel unless we...

linkedin.com

Did you know there is no dedicated team or person in Defra for grasslands, despite them covering 40% of England? 🤯 We're joining @plantlifeuk.bsky.social & partners in calling for the Gov to establish a Grassland Taskforce to unlock their value 🌱 Learn more: www.plantlife.org.uk/our-work/the...

It’s official, 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees since records began🚨 The latest findings from #BeeWalk, our national bumblebee monitoring scheme, have revealed bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter (22.5%) across Great Britain💔 Read on: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/british-bumb...

Beaver releases into wild to be allowed in England for first time in centuries

Beaver releases into wild to be allowed in England for first time in centuries

Exclusive: Government to grant nature groups a licence for release of rodent species after earlier setbacks The release of beavers into English waterways is to be allowed for the first time in centuries, the Guardian can reveal. The environment…

theguardian.com

It is correct that we should not simply pit food production against nature recovery But nature friendly farming only benefits traditional farmland biodiversity We also need separate, unfarmed land to benefit a wider range of species and habitats www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Farmland in England to be reduced by more than 10% under government plans

Grassland for livestock faces largest cut, so people will be encouraged to eat less meat, says environment secretary

theguardian.com

Across the UK, farmers are proving that farming and nature can thrive together. But they can’t do it alone. If the UK Government slashes funding, we risk undoing all this progress.

Right now, the UK Government is considering cuts to the nature-friendly farming budget – the biggest pot of funding for nature. Here’s why that would be a disaster for farmers, food security, and wildlife. A thread. 🧵👇

A day late for #NationalSnowdropDay but I found a gorgeous white mass of them today so had to post! #snowdrops #naturebeauty

Can you help us build a community nursery to grow rare wildflowers, trees and shrubs? We have an area we can use for a nursery & we now need to buy equipment such as raised beds, polytunnels and tools. Many thanks. @envleeds.bsky.social @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social gofund.me/7f214dcd

Donate to Support our wildflower and tree nursery in the Duddon Valley, organized by Restoring Hardknott Forest

Can you help us build a community nursery to grow rare wildfl… Restoring Hardknott Forest needs your support for Support our wildflower and tree nursery in the Duddon Valley

gofund.me

Job opportunity - Community Engagement Trainee. Looking for a traineeship to develop your skills and knowledge to enable you to assist with planning, preparing and delivering community engagement and education projects across the #NorthPennines? http://bit.ly/NorthPenninesNationalLandscapejobs #jobs

THREAD🌾Defra latest announcement claims they have injected £343M into UK Farming last week, are working on a 25 year roadmap and are relaunching Higher tier in 2025🌾BUT whats behind the headlines - lets get into it 🧵 www.gov.uk/government/n...

Rural boost: Government injects nearly £350 million into farming in boost to Britain’s food security

Government injects £343 million of funding into the rural economy last week, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers.

gov.uk

BBC Farming Today reports that the Office for Environmental Protection believes Defra may have broken environmental laws in 2023/2024… …by allowing neonicotinoid pesticides known to be harmful to bees & insects. The last govt gave emergency authorisation for use on sugar beet for last 4 years.

Where are all the insects?

Can you really have a picnic without wasps these days? And is it true there are fewer bees and butterflies than before?

eastangliabylines.co.uk

I've been to meet the truly remarkable botanist Dr Margaret Bradshaw. The 98-year-old has been recording the flora in Teesdale for decades and we talked about plants, legacy, and how the area has adapted to a changing climate. You can see the full report here: www.itv.com/watch/news/a...

Interesting new research quantifying the value of sowing small meadow areas in cities: resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Sown wildflower meadows: Can they replace natural meadows in urban spaces for bees, butterflies and hoverflies?

Areas with sown wildflower meadows, which are usually small areas, concentrate pollinating insects and have a similar value for pollinators as larger areas of natural meadows The abundance and diver...

resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com