Two seconds of a stunning Emerald dragonfly investigating the pond. It stayed around for several minutes and hopefully will be back. There is grey sky here in Worthing, which is lovely, but sadly no rain. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social #dragonflies

Sad to see this lovely Whitebeam tree on a street in West Worthing struggling in the drought. Hope it survives. 😢 🌳 #drought #trees #climatebreakdown

Plants that are surviving the long drought in Worthing - a patch of Ladies Bedstraw, also Yarrow and Bristly Ox-Tongue, all on the green (brown) space at West Parade. #droughtresistant #wildflowers @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Despite the drought there are lots of wildflowers around #BignorHill particularly hemp agrimony and marjoram and many beautiful butterflies, including Common Blues, Brown Argus, Clouded Yellows. #wildflowers #bigbutterflycount

Four Painted Ladies on the buddleia! #bigbutterflycount

Natural England forced to admit 'Every White-tailed Eagle death in Dorset linked to rat poison'. #RaptorResearch raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/08/01/n...

Natural England forced to admit ‘Every White-tailed Eagle death in Dorset linked to rat poison’

Last week, the independent group Wildlife Poisoning Research UK (WPRUK) issued a press release confirming the poisoning of more White-tailed Eagles in Dorset, following the high profile poisoning o…

raptorpersecutionuk.org

The National Trust says that "from the images we've seen so far, everything has burnt", while the RSPB warns it will take "five, 10, 25 years" for some of the destroyed wildlife habitat to come back. Meanwhile #Shell make $10 billion profit…. #wildfires #climatecrisis www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ce...

'Everything has burnt,' says National Trust as fire crews stabilise Suffolk wildfire

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service say no more evacuations were needed overnight, but plans are in place in case the wind changes direction again.

bbc.co.uk

Very sad. 😢 The blaze has spread to parts of #RSPBMinsmere nature reserve. Adam Rowlands, an RSPB area manager, said the scale of the blaze was “unprecedented in living memory” and the damage was “quite devastating” #wildfires #natureemergency #drought

Holiday park evacuated as 90 firefighters tackle Suffolk heath wildfire

Major incident declared, Sizewell B power station closely monitoring blaze and RSPB nature reserve closed to visitors

theguardian.com

Lots of lovely insects in the garden. Mint moth, Holly Blue, Hornet Hoverfly and Painted Lady. Plenty of bees and smaller hoverflies too. #bigbutterflycount #hoverflies @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Seven areas officially in drought are East Anglia, Hertfordshire, the whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, West Midlands, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, south Gloucestershire. West Sussex is also extremely dry. www.theguardian.com/environment/... #drought

Half of England officially in ‘exceptionally serious’ drought

Environment Agency names seven regions affected by unusually hot and dry weather and shortage of water

theguardian.com

There’s something magical about getting halfway through writing a novel and realising that all the disparate threads that you thought might never come together are starting to coalesce - the story is beginning to flow and the characters come alive. #imagination #booksky #amwriting

Focused Writing Session Animation

ALT: Focused Writing Session Animation

static.klipy.com

Happy #WorldNatureConservationDay! There’s a wonderful Twitten near me in Worthing. It’s full of ivy, elderberries and blackberries and butterflies and other insects love it. I saw a flash of vermillion and discovered this beautiful Jersey Tiger moth. #bigbutterflycount @sussexwildlife.bsky.social

Tragic 😢 The fire has been described as the worst the Cairngorms has ever seen. It will be weeks, if not months, before the blaze is fully extinguished but emergency services are hoping they can stop it spreading further. The damage will take decades to put right. #wildfires #climatecrisis

Swathes of Cairngorms unrecognisable after 12 days of ‘cataclysmic’ wildfires

With large areas still burning, damage from national park’s worst blaze could take decades, if not longer, to put right

theguardian.com

There were a few spots of rain in Worthing just now. This is the view towards France, thinking of everyone affected by the terrible wildfires and hoping we all get more rain soon. #drought #wildfires

Wild carrot is beautiful. Despite the drought there’s so much flowering on Cissbury Ring - it’s very resilient. #wildflowers @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @southdownsnp.bsky.social

Butterflies love the Hemp Agrimony I planted in the garden. I used to see it on walks on the South Downs and decided to try growing it. Still no sign of rain though. 🙁 #drought #butterflies #bigbutterflycount

Terrifying #wildfires #climatebreakdown #burningworld www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

France evacuates Cap Ferret peninsula as Spanish wildfires merge near Madrid – Europe live

French evacuees using hundreds of mobilised boats or the only road linking the area with the mainland as evacuation also ordered in areas near Spanish capital

theguardian.com

I miss the rain. 🌨️ In England, eight areas are in prolonged dry weather, the National Drought Group said this week. England has received only 3% of its long-term average July rainfall, with the south and east having nothing at all so far – the longest spell without rain since the mid-1990’s #drought

Drought declared in parts of Wales as July on course to be driest in nearly 200 years

Government agency confirms status in north Wales and Upper Severn after series of heatwaves and lack of rainfall

theguardian.com

Our Practical Work party team of volunteers were out at Harbury North yesterday. We were all delighted to see a number of Clouded Yellow butterflies around the site. #cloudedyellow #migrant #butterflies #warwickshire @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Looked out the window this morning and saw a Red Admiral and 3 Painted Ladies on the very large buddleia! #bigbutterflycount

Gatekeeper in flight. Happy that my ragwort is still flowering. Counted 7 Gatekeepers, 2 large whites, 2 Holly Blues and a Red Admiral today. #bigbutterflycount

Good news! A puffling has been spotted on the coast of Dorset for first time in three decades. Ben Cooke from @nationaltrust.org.uk said: “Puffins are such an iconic bird, we want to do everything in our power to help them survive in Purbeck.” #puffins

‘A great thrill’: baby puffin is first one seen on Dorset coast in three decades

Puffling excites volunteers trying to save the last known regular nesting site on mainland of southern England

theguardian.com

Have you noticed an opaqueness to the blue sky this morning? Wildfire smoke from North America is drifting south across the UK, meaning the clear skies may not be as blue as you might expect 🌤️

Feeling very lucky - my third Hummingbird Hawkmoth in three days. This one in the beach in West Worthing feeding on the Red Valerian still flowering despite the drought. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #moths #butterflies

I do feel the wildfires have been seriously under-reported

Emma Yeomans@yeomans.bsky.social · 2w ago

Large fires in the Peak District, Cairngorms and north Wales are now effectively competing for limited firefighting helicopter resources. On Saturday, Welsh farmers said they felt abandoned - while authorities had approved helicopter use, they were still waiting for one to be available.

There are several meadows full of flowering marjoram, knapweed and St John’s wort on Graffham Down nature reserve in West Sussex, plus ragwort and hemp agrimony. All still looking healthy despite the drought and being visited by many varieties of butterflies. #wildflowerhour #stillflowering

Twelve Gatekeepers, two large Whites and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in the garden, which likes the Red Valerian. #bigbutterflycount

A beautiful Hummingbird Hawkmoth on Graffham Down nature reserve enjoying the marjoram. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #butterflies #moths

Amazing day on Graffham Down. Still many wildflowers flowering despite the drought. Butterflies everywhere you look! Spotted Clouded Yellow, Marbled Whites, Painted Ladies, Common Blues, Silver Y, Gatekeepers, Small Skippers, Red Admirals. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social