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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 8h

Get ahead on your Christmas cards and share a piece of natural history with friends and family.

Our range of designs each feature a beautiful nature print from our historical collection. And if you can't choose just one, you can save with 3 packs for the price of 2.

Shop the range: buff.ly/D2c8oqr

A pointsettia with the words "Comfort & Joy"

A harbour seal with the words "Dreaming of a White Christmas"

Mistletoe with the words "Happy Holidays"

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 1d

Step inside the world of green careers: from hidden paths you’ve never considered, to hands-on roles shaping the future of our planet. Talk to the people already out there and hear how they got their start. Build practical skills that help you move forward and look great on your CV.

buff.ly/jnpm93w

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 1d

Learn to knit like a Victorian in the gorgeous Linnean Society library - exploring the history of knitting, decoding original patterns, and giving the craft a go with the skilled help of historical archives expert and keen knitter, Sarah Walpole

🗓 11 Nov
🕑 2–5pm
📍In person only

buff.ly/bDFHigl

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 2d

Our Local Nature grants are for young people, and selected by young people. There's just over a fortnight until the deadline for this year, so get your applications in now!

The scheme provides funding for youth-led projects to connect with and protect nature across the UK.

Apply at buff.ly/ChleErt

A field of sunflowers at dawn. Text reads, "Our Local Nature Grant, Applications open until 25 October."

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 2d

Join us for our next Linnean Lens with Jonathan Ablett as he tells the stories of some of the amazing specimens of molluscs held in the Linnean collection, and their place in the wider context of mollusc collection across the UK and Ireland

📅 4 Nov
🕑 2–3PM
📍 Online, free

Book here: buff.ly/810bNOy

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 3d

Images are from André Étienne d'Audebard de Férussac & Alcide D'Orbigny, 'Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des céphalopodes acétabulifères, vivants et fossiles' (1835–1848) (LSL ref: F 594.5 FER)

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 3d

Octopus macropus risso - now classified as Callistoctopus macropus. It is often known as a grass octopus and sometimes lives in seagrass meadows.

Both available as cards, prints and posters at buff.ly/aLARMoH - use LINNEAN15 for a 15% discount!

Octopus macropus. It is pink and red in colour with white spots and long, thin tentacles which curl around the border of the picture.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 3d

It's #WorldOctopusDay! These beauties from our collection are both by French pharmacist and naturalist Jean Baptiste Vérany (1800-65).

Octopus vulgaris - the common octopus, which can grow to 9kg and change colour to match its surroundings.

Common octopus with brown and yellow colouring with hints of blue. It has yellow eyes and fills the image.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 3d

Images are from André Étienne d'Audebard de Férussac & Alcide D'Orbigny, 'Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des céphalopodes acétabulifères, vivants et fossiles' (1835–1848) (LSL ref: F 594.5 FER)

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 3d

Octopus macropus risso - now classified as Callistoctopus macropus. It is often known as a grass octopus and sometimes lives in seagrass meadows.

Both available as cards, prints and posters at buff.ly/aLARMoH - use LINNEAN15 for a 15% discount!

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 5d

Open now! Come check out or brand new #Exhibition all about #Wonder. Inspired by Wunderkammer and cabinets of curiosity, this exhibition is packed with hidden gems of the Linnean collections.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 8d

Why are Britain’s woods falling silent?

Marsh & Willow Tits have declined by up to 96%.

Join @richardkbroughton.bsky.social at 6pm, Oct 23 at the Society to uncover what’s driving these losses - and what they reveal about our vanishing forests.

Book now: buff.ly/IuNlpoH

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 9d

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dame Jane Goodall. A visionary primatologist, conservationist, and lifelong advocate for the natural world, her work transformed our understanding of life on Earth.

Photograph: Hugo van Lawick/National Geographic

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 9d

Our library holds many stunning images of nature, now available as prints and cards. Treat yourself or a loved one this Christmas and support the Society at the same time! Until 30 November receive 15% off using code LINNEAN15.

buff.ly/KSn4wtT

A colourful botanical illustration showing flowers, fruits and leaves.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 10d

✨Open today!✨

Explore our brand new #Exhibition all about Wonder. Inspired by the cabinet of curiosity or Wunderkammer (wonder-room) that flourished in 17th and 18th-century Europe, this exhibition showcases the varied collections and often lesser-seen objects held by the Linnean Society.

A graphic displaying an illustration from our new Wonder exhibition. Text reads: Wonder: A delightful pick and mix of our fascinating natural history collections. Free exhibition, 10.00-17.00 Tues-Fri. 01 October 2025 - 06 March 2026. The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Picadilly W1J 0BF.

Photograph of a finely detailed illustration of a fly's head, its bulbous compound eyes dominating the page.

A wooden type tray full of red and black wax seals, labelled in neat cursive.

Photograph of part of a display case from the Wonder exhibition. In the top left, a coloured illustration of a white bird with spiked plumage and a yellow face. Below and to the right, a brown rodent with a long tail, teeth bared.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 12d

“It tires me a great deal to sit to anyone, but I should be the most ungrateful and ungracious dog not to agree”

September's Treasure of the Month is our most famous portrait of Charles Darwin, which is now part of UNESCO's Memory of the World.
buff.ly/hQkkwPX

Collier's 1881 portrait of Charles Darwin, who stands in a large brown overcoat against a brown background. He is holding a hat and has a white beard and downcast expression.

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 14d

🌍 Can life keep up with a changing planet?

Join us 20 Nov for a dynamic, one-day hybrid symposium at the Society - diving into the science of organismal resilience from genes to ecosystems.

🔬 Big questions. Bold science.
📍 In person or online
🕘 9:30am–6pm GMT
🎟️ buff.ly/0XdAhNZ

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 15d

A mystery orchid. A forgotten archive. Victorian obsession.

Join us 18 Nov, 6pm-8pm as author @sbilston.bsky.social uncovers the strange tale of Cattleya labiata and its archival secrets. An atmospheric dive into plant hunting & archive sleuthing.

Book here: buff.ly/S3ATweG

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 16d

What's the ‘secret sauce’ of shows like Planet Earth and The Green Planet? And what's it like working with Sir David Attenborough?

Join Mike Gunton as he shares clips and stories from a career making award-winning natural history shows.

📆 6pm, 6 November
📍Linnean Society
🎟️From £8

An insider’s guide to the secrets of making a wildlife blockbuster

The BBC Studios Natural History Unit Creative Director and Executive Producer shares the secrets of making a blockbuster wildlife series.

buff.ly

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 16d

We can't wait!

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social · 16d

Why do some palm clades in Madagascar thrive while others stagnate? Why do some have 1 species, and others 180+? Turns out it's less about that Island Magic & more about inherited traits and timing (when is it not?)! 🌍🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

Explaining extreme differences in species richness among co-occurring palm clades in Madagascar

Abstract. Imbalance in species richness among related clades is a pervasive, yet incompletely understood feature of biodiversity. Comparison of species-poo

doi.org

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 17d

It's #WorldGorillaDay, highlighting this primate which is endangered due to factors including habitat loss, disease and poaching.

This plate in Studia Zoologica (1856) by Anders Gustav Dahlbom (1806-1856), lists the species as Gorilla gina. As far as we know, this gorilla wasn't called Gina!

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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 17d

The woods are growing quieter. On 23 Oct, join us in partnership with @britornitholclub.bsky.social for an evening lecture at our building with @richardkbroughton.bsky.social, exploring the dramatic decline of Marsh and Willow Tits - key voices in Britain's woodland soundscape: buff.ly/k6h5bit

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society @biojlinnsoc.bsky.social · 17d

Looking to the past to predict the future...

DNA & #Climate models revealed the diversification & dispersal history of the Southern Swallowtail butterfly, as well as predicting an 89% decline in suitable habitat by 2070...highlighting the need for urgent #conservation. 🌍🧪👇

Peering into the past and predicting the future of the threatened southern swallowtail, Papilio alexanor Esper, 1799 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Abstract. We investigated the evolutionary history of the threatened southern swallowtail butterfly (Papilio alexanor) using DNA sequences from COI barcode

doi.org

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Reposted by The Linnean Society of London

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society @botjlinnsoc.bsky.social · 18d

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

Not quite Frankenstein's monster, nuclear sequence capture was used on the orchid subtribe Calypsoinae, making a strong case for the resurrection of Kitigorchis as a sister to Corallorhiza! Read about it below 🌍🧪👇

Phylogenomics and intergenomic conflict in a challenging orchid clade (Calypsoinae): monophyly of Corallorhiza, paraphyly of Oreorchis, and resurrection of Kitigorchis

Abstract. Heterotrophic plants are among the most recalcitrant from a systematics perspective because of reduced morphological and genomic features, and of

doi.org

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