Apithanny

I recently started reading The Peregrine, a beautiful book by J. A. Baker. The following day whilst out doing butterfly transects in a forgotten corner of the Borders, I saw not one but THREE peregrines for the first time. Nature is generous with its magic.

The meadows, butterflies and curlews of my homeland are disappearing. Replaced with thousands of hectares of non-native conifer plantations, to benefit offshore investors who will never set foot on the hills we love so much. Latest 2700ha proposal below crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-todrig-…

Wondering why we think grasslands are incredible?🌱🌾 Check out part 1 of our 3 part series on the benefits this amazing habitat provides below🌎 📽️ You can support our ongoing work to help secure the future of species-rich #grasslands here 👉 bit.ly/3JE3UeB

What a fantastic poster! This is so lovely.

Currently top of the #BigButterflyCount with over 189,000 records - the Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta) 🦋 This large butterfly travels to the UK from North Africa and continental Europe and can be found in all habitat types. See how many you can count 👉 bigbutterflycount.org

Hawkmoths are beautiful! Have you spotted any of these? 🔍 wildlifewatch.org.uk/activities

Met Bog-rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) for the first time EVER yesterday!! I’ve looked at it in my ID book *countless* times over the years, but never clapped eyes on it in real life. I’m still buzzing aaah!! 🥳 Isn’t it COOL 😍

The exquisite beauty of a Red Admiral! There's still time to do a #BigButterflyCount with @savebutterflies! twitter.com/savebutterflie…

This 10,000-acre estate was once the Duke of Buccleuch’s grouse moor - now it’s been bought out by the Langholm community & is being restored as a nature reserve! Natural regeneration, peat rewetting, orchid meadows. Thanks Jenny & Kat (Langholm Initiative) for showing me around!

Climate action should be "proportional and pragmatic", Sunak says. Excellent. In other words, given that we're facing the greatest danger humanity has ever confronted, we should be pulling out all the stops. Oh, turns out he means the opposite.

Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) should be one of the most abundant wildflowers in grasslands where it’s became scarce through most of Liverpool! To help out this beaut beastie, I’ve started collecting seed for some of the grasslands being restored for wildlife nearby 😍🌱

Butterfly populations are sadly in decline, but there are ways you can help. By participating in Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count, you can help assess the health of the environment simply by counting the butterflies you see 🦋👀 @savebutterflies

The #BigButterflyCount 2023 has officially started! 🦋 Our butterflies and moths need our help more than ever. This is why we are urging everyone to get out for the Count to help us conserve them! 💚 Get involved 👉 bigbutterflycount.org #SaveButterflies #MothsMatter

Are you ready for the #BigButterflyCount? From 14 July - 6 Aug, choose a spot to watch butterflies & moths for 15 mins then record the species you see on the website or on the app. 👉 bit.ly/3iaRb5J Pics clockwise: Peacock Silver washed fritillary Skipper Common blue

The year of the Red Admiral? A lot of these about in Hampshire for the last few weeks and today I saw perhaps 1000+ in a long run on the South Downs. On the ridge of the downs one every couple of metres. Not sure if they're recent migrants or the offspring of spring arrivals.🦋

Something close to my heart, agricultural species rich meadows So many lost, but we can should we wish replicate them This meadow is only 11 years old. Who would’ve guessed? #NationalMeadowsDay

Very pleased to announce that we have set up a fund with @RoyEntSoc to honour Douglas's memory. Aim's to allow young (14 - 18 years) entomologists to apply for small grants to further develop their passion for insects & inspire others. @diarsia More here: royensoc.co.uk/news/douglas-b…

There's enough green in the countryside already, let's colour it up. #NationalMeadowsDay from my ex-silage field. @Love_plants

💚🌸It’s #NationalMeadowsDay 🌸💚Our 61 acre urban #grassland #wildflower meadow is brimming with life! #WarrenFarmNR is home to vulnerable plants, supporting a vast array of insects, Bats, Slow-Worms, Barn Owls, Skylarks & more! Pls @EalingCouncil don’t #dewild us, care for us🌼

Join us to look at Pollinator Monitoring in our annual pollinator conference on the 15th of June. All the details you need, including the email address to use to sign up for the day, are in the graphic below.