This will be a really interesting webinar from Dr Tim King about @rowantnnr.bsky.social and the long term research on site

Ecological Continuity Trust (ECT)@ect-uk.bsky.social · last mo.

Will you attend our lunch time webinar this month? Tim King from @ox.ac.uk will be talking about the Aston Rowant #LTE in #England that has been going since 1969. Register: bit.ly/ECTWebinarsE... #Grassland @chilternsnl.bsky.social @rowantnnr.bsky.social 🌏

Second brood male Adonis Blue. Aston Rowant NNR, Oxon 3/8/26 @rowantnnr.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

A good year for Clouded yellows at Aston Rowant NNR @rowantnnr.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Silver-spotted Skipper at Aston Rowant NNR yesterday (1/8/26.) @rowantnnr.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Check out the spines on this fascinating bug! Found running on bare disturbed chalk soil at Aston Rowant #NNR Coriomerus denticulatus the Denticulate Leatherbug @rowantnnr.bsky.social @britishbugs.bsky.social

Recording rare Broad-leaved Cudweed Filago pyramidata introduction in an annually rotovated chalk field in the NNR at Aston Rowant @rowantnnr.bsky.social Many 1000s of plants in the dead & brown stage. A big success story @bsbibotany.bsky.social

The wonderfully loud Wren - a lovely composition of adult and juvenile spotted @rowantnnr.bsky.social

What a wonderful collection of #moths, recorded @rowantnnr.bsky.social - Elephant Hawk-moth, Privet Hawk-moth & a clever little Buff-tip pretending to be a stick!

Acleris logiana (White Birch Tortrix) reared from a pupa found in a spinning between two birch leaves at Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire 10 days ago. #teammoth @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Good time (as always) mothing at @rowantnnr.bsky.social on Saturday. Highlights were mines of Stigmella sorbi (Barred Rowan Dot), new for me and 1st for Oxfordshire, my second ever Eastern Bordered Straw & Grass Rivulet, Cistus Forester & an adult Bucculatrix frangulella (Buckthorn Tuft). #teammoth

Flowering now at Aston Rowant #NNR on the Chilterns. Lots of chalk grassland species but here Fragrant Orchid, Vipers Bugloss, Yellow Wort (and hoverfly) and a (presumed) Common Broomrape. Plenty to see despite the very dry spring, recent showers helped a lot @rowantnnr.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

It doesn’t get much better than a Pyramidal orchid in the sunshine - look at that pink! @rowantnnr.bsky.social #orchid #wildflower

Some beautiful #butterflies spotted @rowantnnr.bsky.social - a delicate Small copper, and Dingy skipper

Nice visit today to @rowantnnr.bsky.social with @rhulbiology.bsky.social practical field ecology class. Did vegetation and lichen surveys and seen some lovely greater butterfly orchids as well

The very dry ground conditions here @rowantnnr.bsky.social this Spring, are making it tough, for some of our special #orchids - this White helleborine and Greater butterfly were spotted by @judywebb.bsky.social - trying their best!

Not much matches the stunning green of the green hairstreak #butterfly, here spotted at @rowantnnr.bsky.social whilst on a butterfly transect

Of course, the butterflies of the chalk grasslands are stunning…. but what a lovely little common purple & gold moth this is @rowantnnr.bsky.social #teammoth

Spring is marching on @rowantnnr.bsky.social - Bluebells have been wonderful!

The fluffy fox #moth caterpillar, determinedly stomping through the #chalkgrassland @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Pleased to find the first couple of Early Purple Orchids Orchis mascula in flower at Aston Rowant NNR chalk grassland @rowantnnr.bsky.social beautiful & apparently used to be so common, but now scarce. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Happy spring, everyone! 🌺 Come celebrate the sunshine with us, on a task at Aston Rowant NNR, in South Oxfordshire @rowantnnr.bsky.social – that's tomorrow, Sunday 22nd. We will be removing scrub encroaching on the base Beacon Hill, and repairing a fence. #Oxford ocv.org.uk

Wonderful to hear Tom Bindoff awarded a BEM! Such a great volunteer for Aston Rowant NNR @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Tom Bindoff from Watlington, a specialist in accessible gates and stiles for public footpaths, receives the BEM for services to outdoor accessibility to nature. Composer and pianist Max Richter, who lives near Great Tew in north Oxfordshire, is appointed a CBE.

Chilterns beechwoods, stunning just now, before the beautiful autumn colour leaves all are blown to the ground. Then they are are nice to kick through as you walk through the woods & great for #fungi of course Aston Rowant NNR @chilternsnl.bsky.social @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Grassland #fungi time Excellent finds at Aston Rowant NNR included earthtongues, yellow spindles, beige coral, parrot waxcaps & the rare tiny brown toadstools called Fanvaults -the Hodophilus (Camarophyllopsis) species (last 2) some of which smell of mothballs! #fungifriends @rowantnnr.bsky.social

A big mystery of autumn. Why are certain #fungi fruiting bodies spectacular colours? Yes a lot are white buff /brown, but bright yellow, red, green, blue -just why? L -Parrot waxcaps here from @rowantnnr.bsky.social. Green (look hard) & yellow, go pink later. R- Orange cup Melastiza cornubiensis

Trying to help Juniper regeneration at Aston Rowant NNR chalk grassland on the Chilterns. Collecting Juniper berries to de-flesh & sow in scrapes & planting out a 3 yr old rooted cutting. Protection needed from rabbits, sheep and deer grazing for any young plants! @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Devil's bolete Rubroboletus satanas up in root zone of beeches at Aston Rowant NNR on the Chilterns. Nearby also Rooting Bolete Caloboletus radicans (yellow pores) and Lurid Bolete Suillellus luridus with Rockrose slow blueing with the first, faster with others #fungifriends @rowantnnr.bsky.social

Amazing in this drought in the south that fungi are somehow sourcing enough water from rain showers to fruit. Aston Rowant NNR on Chilterns shows spectacular growths of Giant polypore Meripilus giganteus at the base of several dead beech trees @rowantnnr.bsky.social @fungiflowers.bsky.social

It's a male Chalkhill Bue butterfly but is the flower a gentian or a Clustered Bellflower I'm trying to turn it into... #pollinatorpals @wildflowerhour.bsky.social r. #WildflowerID @rowantnnr.bsky.social

The #Chalk downland @rowantnnr.bsky.social now enters its purple phase: clustered bellflower, hare bell and sways of scabious!