This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know these thugs do not speak for the rest of us. Add your name? 38d.gs/jpcf

An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI

This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know th...

38d.gs

@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social A few last minute pics for today’s wildflower hour whilst I was on hand and knees looking for Autumn Lady's Tresses

Morning dew and spider webs

Church Field, Slad nr Stroud last night 18 moths of 11 species for Stroud Wildlife Survey Group..and unusual night as Seth Lakeman was playing a secret gig next door...so we had a free concert as well #Moths #Mothtrapping #MothsMatter

Bats, Moths and Small Mammal surveying tonight all in one go with Stroud Wildlife Survey Group #bats #mothsmatter #smallmammals

Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) Wasp Spiders are great mimics, looking just like a common wasps Found in S England, but spreading North The web has a wide, white zig-zag strip running down the middle, known as a 'stabilimentum', the function of which is unclear #Spiders #Arachnids #WaspSpider

Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia)Romania Named after Richard Weaver, an insect collector who claimed to have obtained the specimen in the Uk in 1820 Nutrient-poor grasslands, but occasionally forest edges and clearings Larvae feed on Viola species, often Viola hirta #WeaversFritillary

Spent the afternoon making Alexander Traps for insect monitoring. This is to monitor pollinators at a farm and measure if organic farming over time increases the species of pollinating insects

Clouded Yellow Butterfly (Colias croceus f helice) My 19th of the year, which was a good consolation prize for a whole weekend of butterfly searching The targets were Queen of Spain, Long-tailed Blue and Brown Hairstreak, but we failed to find all at multiple locations #CloudedYellow

Spotted Fritillary (Melitaea didyma) Romania A vibrant orange-red butterfly with black markings on its wings, particularly noticeable on the underside Frequent hot dry flowery places The larvae feed on several species of Linaria and Veronica species as well as Foxgloves #SpottedFritillary

Google plans to bulldoze a wildlife haven in Essex – home to rare species – for a data centre. Sign the petition now to help save it before it’s gone forever 🐝🦋 you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

Save Arena Essex- Tell Google to search elsewhere!

  Wedged between the Mar Dyke Valley and Lakeside Retail Park, the former Arena Essex Raceway is not your usual wildlife haven. Where once stock cars and speedway bikes lined up to cross the fini...

you.38degrees.org.uk

Landowners release ~50million pheasants a year into the countryside. It’s long past time this was regulated, such as through a stringent licensing regime. The government announced they’d explore licensing earlier this year; this piece is a useful update: www.theguardian.com/food/2026/au...

New licensing for game shoots could stop poisoning of birds of prey

Scheme planned for England could also curtail tradition of releasing pheasants for people to pay to shoot

theguardian.com

Short-tailed Blue (Cupido argiades) Romania New butterfly for me having only seen Lang's Short-tailed Blue previously Found in meadows, forest edge habitats, woodland clearings and glades but only where there is flower cover Larvae feed on various Legumes inc Bird'sfoot Trefoil #ShorttailedBlue

Another Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) in the garden

I just signed the Free Ben & Jerry's campaign. Magnum is trying to sideline the social mission that made the brand matter. Sign too, then invite at least 3 others with your personal link to unlock rewards: signup.freebenandjerrys.com/s/r-zrDCicIo...

Free Ben & Jerry's - The People's Campaign

Magnum is trying to sideline the social mission that made the brand matter. Add your name and invite others to help.

signup.freebenandjerrys.com

Pearly Heath (Coenonympha arcania) Valisoarei, Romania Lives in lightly wooded forests and forest edges & bushy, dry grasslands Found C & S Europe, exl S half of the Iberian Peninsula into Asia as far as Iran Larvae feed on various grasses including Holcus lanatus & Festuca ovina #PearlyHeath

Garden moth trap Monday night brought 5 new species for the garden, and surprising ones at that, ones you would think I'd already had seen there - Poplar Hawk-moth, Straw underwing, Wax Moth, Jersey Tiger & European Corn Borer Recorded hundreds of times, just not from my actual garden

Orberthur's Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus) Romania Underside wing has a slight red tint with light coloured veins Found NW Africa, France, Spain, Poland, Greece, Russia, & Turkey Habitats are dry grassy flowery meadows Foodplants: Potentilla, Fragaria and Helianthemum #OrberthursSkipper

Local tip off to a Old Lady Moth (Mormo maura) roost in Stroud under a bridge over the River Frome Estimated to be over 100 roosting in 4 clusters #moths #mothsmatter #oldladymoth

Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) A daily visitor to the garden was up early today #lepidoptera #moth #mothsmatter #hummingbirdhawkmoth @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Meleager's Blue (Polyommatus daphnis)Romania Male wing is bright blue, females blue bordered with dark brown.Hindwings are distinctly scalloped, esp in females Habitat grassy, bushy areas, clearings in scrub & open flowery meadows Larvae feed on Horseshoe/Crown Vetch &Sainfoin #MeleagersBlue

Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia) Romania Two forms - blue form ilia & orange form clytie,the latter is more commonly encountered in southern regions of its distribution Found in woodlands often near rivers or damp areas Caterpillars feed on Aspen (P tremula) etc #LesserPurpleEmperor

Today on Rodborough, a day cut short due to the heat, but still managed: Chalk-hill Blue x 18 M 5 F Meadow Brown x 9 Clouded Yellow x 3 Small Heath x 27 Brown Argus x 12 Adonis Blue x 11 M 2 F Small Copper x 1 Common Blue x 4 M Small White x 9 Silver Y x 2 Kestrel x 1 #Butterflies #Lepidoptera

Eastern Short-tailed Blue (Cupido decoloratus) (Staudinger 1886) Romania Locally distributed & rare in Romania & elsewhere A small butterfly with a sexual dimorphism Larvae feed on Medicago sativa & Medicago lupulina Found in grassy flowery places & woodland clearings #EasternShorttailedBlue

Large Skipper(Ochlodes sylvanus) Romania Russet-brown wings are edged with large, dark brown patches and dotted with small, light orange patches.Larger than similar Small Skipper Fly between June and August Larval food plants include cock's-foot, purple moor-grass and false broom #LargeSkipper

Hungarian Glider Butterfly (Neptis rivularis) Romania Similar to Common Glider,but a faint white band on the upper side forewing cell and only one broad band on the hindwing separate them Found in forest habitats in alpine valleys. Caterpillars feed on Spiraea & Aruncus species #HungarianGlider

Eastern Rock Grayling (Hipparchia syriaca) Romania Almost as large as the Woodland Grayling a species it is most incorrectly identified as, dissection needed to be reliable June to August depending on location Larvae feed on Brachypodium sp #EasternRockGrayling

Today was meant to be a butterfly hunting day, however due to another request I ended up on the Stroud Navigation A fairly good day counting Dragonflies & Damselflies. Was surprised by a good show of both male and female Red-eyed Damselflies as well as a fluttering of Banded Demoiselles #Odonata

Chapman's Blue (Polyommatus thersites) Often overlooked as similar to Common Blue. Separated by the absence of an underside forewing cell spot and andriconal scales in the basal areas Habitat is warm sunny flowery meadows at low to mid altitudes Larva feeds on Onobrychis #ChapmansBlueButterfly