My favourite flower #ByTheSea this week has got to be the beautifully delicate Common Sea-lavender growing on Chesil Beach. Erect stems sprinkled with gorgeous purple flowers, interspersed with little white cups that tell of past blooms. A lovely flower in a lovely location. 💜 #wildflowerhour

For #WildflowerHour today, I visited Chesil Beach to find plants #ByTheSea. So much to see, incl Sea Mayweed, Greater Knapweed, Vipers Bugloss, Common Restharrow, Glasswort, Thrift, Rock Samphire, Sea Aster, Sea Purslane, Sea-blite, Birds-Foot Trefoil & Common Ragwort. @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social

I've just published a detailed video covering how to observe and photograph the deep #PartialsolarEclipse and the #Perseids #MeteorShower on 12th August 2026. Timestamps for each part are in the description box. Watch here: youtu.be/ZTwRaAbYvag

Always happy for extra excuses to spend time enjoying butterflies - thank you #BigButterflyCount! Did a 15 min count at my allotment - 7 species seen. Large & Small White, Gatekeeper, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock & (too quick for pic) Silver Y moth. Lovely. 🦋 @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

My moth trap was massively out-competed by the moon but a fluffy Sallow Kitten made up for low numbers. Fun unexpected visitors were a gorgeous green non-biting midge (? ID welcome) & LOADS of adorable Lesser Water Boatmen. @dorsetmoths.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social #teammoth #insects

Fab to see lots of Silver Y moths at my allotment nectaring on Dianthus - the long proboscis probing deep. Not an unusual moth but often only seen as a blur with its speedy flight & buzzing wings. Was a treat to get such good views. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social #teammoth

I have a confession...I've paid little attention to Docks since childhood when I'd search out leaves as a salve for nettle stings. But I sat on a bench today & noticed this wonderful Dock. Wow! A column of beautiful fruiting tepals with teeth, encompassing shiny, pink tubercles. 😍 #wildflowerhour

The ultimate bog plant for me - Sundews. 😍 Rosettes of leaves, each with a halo of shimmering sticky beads which spell death for tiny insects, but they are undeniably beautiful. And the flowers stems uncurling as they push elegantly upwards. #wildflowerhour #wetlandplants #internationalbogday2026

I saw the first Speckled Bush-cricket in my allotment in mid-May. A tiny nymph enjoying some sun sitting on blossom. Now, two months later, they've grown-up, busy exploring, but still splendidly speckly like this fabulous female. What a great insect! @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social #wildwebswednesday

There seem to be lots of fabulous Painted Lady butterflies on the wing currently. I love the variation in their patterning and colouration. Here are just two of the individuals at my Weymouth allotment today. 😍 Also, saw my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year! @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social

I took a short walk this morning to see what was #stillflowering locally along the desiccated roadside verges & pavements. I was pleasantly surprised to find 38 species in flower, supporting many pollinators. Here are some of my favourite flowers from today (names in Alt text). 🌸 #wildflowerhour

Heat isn't the only peril for our flowers. Turns out my Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar is excellent at locating plants #stillflowering (here Hoary Willowherb) & then destroying the evidence with impressive speed!!! 😂 #wildflowerhour #teammoth @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

A beautiful sunny day here in Weymouth and my gorgeously green Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar is enjoying a spot of afternoon tea. Hoary Willowherb is delicious apparently! 💚 #teammoth @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

Wow!! 😍 What a gorgeous green Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar! An exciting find in my Weymouth allotment today. Only seen brown ones before - looking forward to seeing if it changes colour as it moults or if it'll stay green. 💚 #teammoth @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetmoths.bsky.social

There's something joyful about Ragged-Robin flowers. The deeply divided petals are wispy and, well...ragged looking. A gorgeous colour. And is it just me, or do the petals look like they're holding hands? And here's my little ragged Robin fledgling who calls my allotment home. 😍 #WildflowerHour

Three is a magic number! So here are 3 #AquaticPlants for this week's #WildflowerHour. A splendid Common Club-rush, standing tall at the edge of a shallow, dragonfly-tastic lake. Lesser Spearwort, a member of the buttercup family. And my favourite - a flamboyant Yellow Flag (or Iris). Gorgeous! 💛

A month ago I was immersed in Bog Asphodel as the sun was setting with Nightjars churring away. Very magical. Always love seeing Bog Asphodel - gorgeous glowing yellow stars with fab orange anthers atop crazily fluffy filaments (they remind me of school art-project pipe cleaners!) #wildflowerhour

What a stroke of luck! Unable to get out exploring, very obligingly this intrepid Hedge Bindweed has appeared twining up one of my Foxgloves in an anticlockwise direction. Whether they always climb in that direction, I just don't know...🤔 A perfect candidate for #climbingplants this #wildflowerhour

What a lovely surprise - a couple of Inkcaps have appeared in the compost at my allotment. 😃 A happy #FungiFriday indeed!! 🍄

I love seeing plants growing in the shingle, it seems such a harsh environment and feels so improbable that any could survive. But this Sea Campion growing on Chesil Beach is right at home here and seemingly loving life. Vast carpets of it seen in May were just wonderful to see. 🤍 #wildflowerhour

Really looking forward to #Wildflowerhour today and immersing myself in floral fabulousness as I've been unable to get out due to a broken toe. 😢 I do have some recent favourites to share though - this glorious Welsh Poppy, found in the tranquility of a beautiful West Dorset woodland. Wow!! 🧡

Took a breather whilst working my Weymouth #allotment to watch this Small Skipper feeding on Nemesia. Gorgeous orange butterflies. I love how they hold their wings. I grow plenty of flowering plants to support #pollinatorpals. #insectweek @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social

My Flower of the Week has got to be this gorgeous Sand Spurrey. Thrilled to have such beautiful flowers within a five minute walk from my home. Very tiny, so I sat down on the ground for some up-close appreciation and was blown away - just stunning little flowers. 💜 #Wildflowerhour

A fabulous male Thick-legged Flower Beetle in a Field Bindweed flower is my #PollinatorPals entry for this week's #Wildflowerhour challenge. On the other side of the coin are the pollinator predators. Here a green Crab Spider lurks within the inviting bloom of a Dog Rose for an unwary pollinator...

Tick tock, it's #Wildflowerhour o'clock on the longest day of the year! I just love the structure and symmetry of a Goats-Beard seedhead "clock". Simply beautiful. 🤍 Wishing everyone a Happy Summer Solstice. 🔆

A really enjoyable day with lovely people and so many fab flowers. I still can't believe quite how tiny Birds-foot Clover is!!

Dorset Flora Group@dorsetflora.bsky.social · last mo.

Yesterday we surveyed at Chickerell firing ranges and amongst other things found Knotted Hegde Parsley, Viper's Bugloss, Scarlet Pimpernel, Pyramidal Orchids, Grass Vetchling, Common Centaury, Rough Clover, Strawberry Clover & Birds-foot Clover #WildflowerHour

Anyone for ice-cream?? This Green Pug was really giving mint choc-chip vibes!! Also in the moth trap y'day some gorgeous Dark Arches & a lovely Minor (agg sp*). In total 20 sp/50 moths, with Heart & Dart most prevalent (Weymouth). @dorsetmoths.bsky.social @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social #teammoth

The beautiful Cornish coastline provided spectacular scenery and wonderful flowers this week. Foxgloves with a view, English Stonecrop, Sheeps-bit, and Navelwort particularly caught my eye. Also saw this cool leaf print on a leaf!! 😍 #wildflowerhour

My local church has some wonderful wild areas, incl a Badger Sett, Tawny Owl nest boxes, Swift boxes and water features. Meadow areas with Oxeye Daisy, Common Knapweed and Hogweed. Also Wood Avens, Red Valerian, White Clover, Birds-foot Trefoil and Green Alkanet.🌸 #Wildflowerhour #ChurchyardFlowers

No lawn, but I have let a previously woodchipped path on my allotment grow wild for #nomowmay. I now have a glorious mini-meadow of Yorkshire Fog grass. Velvety soft, with a purply hue in the right light, and, close up lovely yellow stamen protruding. 💚 #NoMowSummer #LawnFlowers #wildflowerhour