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johnfen1.bsky.social
@johnfen1.bsky.social
170 followers 140 following 180 posts
Countryside Ranger in Rural Access and Urban Green Space. Gardening for Wildlife. Botany, Trees and Hedge Laying
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johnfen1.bsky.social
A #ThickTrunkTuesday tree silhouette. Sycamore standing tall in a Lincolnshire hedgerow
A Sycamore tree silhouette against an overcast grey sky amongst hedgerows and fields
November 25, 2025 at 8:38 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Common Ragwort and a Lincolnshire farmland track catching the briefest moment of sunlight on an otherwise wet overcast day #WildflowerHour
Yellow flowers of Common Ragwort against the backdrop of a farmland track, hedgerows and overcast sky
November 23, 2025 at 8:46 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Garlic Mustard flowering on a frosty November morning in a Lincolnshire hedgerow was not instantly recognisable. Somewhat out of season I thought I had found something new. #WildflowerHour
Small white sunlit flowers and green leaves of Garlic Mustard at the foot of a hedgerow. The smooth dead stem of Elder in the background
November 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
The first icing over of the garden wildlife pond will have seen off the last of the Pond Skaters but there will be much life going on beneath it. The now browned senescent Barred Horsetail in the foreground was a favoured perching point for Damsel and Dragonflies over the Spring and Summer.
The frozen surface of a small preformed 250 litre pond dressed with pebbles and dead wood surrounded by an overwintering vegetation mix of naturalised wild and garden cultivar plant stems. The dead stems of Barred Horsetail emergent in the foreground. An unusual visitor to the Horsetail in a suburban garden, Willow Emerald Damselfly. The female oviposits her eggs into the bark of overhanging Willow and Alder of which none is present near this pond. A late Summer visitor, Common Darter perched on a dried out Horsetail stem One of the earliest Damselfly species to visit back in the Spring, Large Red Damselfly
November 21, 2025 at 11:08 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Centre Stage. White Dead-nettle.
Up Stage. The Wood Avens seedhead underneath it. #WildflowerHour
A White Dead-nettle whorl surrounded by Cow Parsley and Common Cleaver foliage with a brown Wood Avens seedhead beneath it
November 16, 2025 at 8:50 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
With a generous smudge of yellow, Field Pansy brightening up a damp rain lashed day on a Lincolnshire field of Barley stubble #WildflowerHour
Creamy coloured Field Pansy with a dark veined yellow lower petal against a backdrop of damp soil littered with limestone shards and barley stubble
November 16, 2025 at 8:24 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
A first solo effort at hedge laying back in Nov 2019. Not a typical hedge laying location, it is on an urban green space that ironically was farmland prior to sand and gravel extraction. It is only a short section but every year since, birds have nested it including the Blackbird that made this one
21 Nov 2019. A haphazard line of gappy trees and shrubs including Silver Birch, Field Maple, Hawthorn, Dog Rose behind a low bench and in front of a residential fence. The resident approached the local authority to have them all cut down. Laying them was a good compromise in which the resident was able to get involved in. 29 November 2019. The trees and shrubs brought into line through pleaching the stems using hand tools, staking them with Hazel stakes and binding them with willow for strength. The hedge as it is now 13 November 2025. A couple of the original stakes and pleachers can be seen in the foreground. The hedge is lightly trimmed on an annual basis and some of the more robust stems laid back into further increase its more compact thickness 13 November 2025. A remnant cup shaped Blackbirds nest of twigs, grass and leaves built upon on the now decaying hedge binders next to a decaying Hazel stake. Moss is starting to grow on it. It is surrounded by this years upward branch growth.
November 14, 2025 at 1:43 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Oxeye Daisy holding on to its florets when everything else has blown down around it. #WildflowerHour
The white ray and yellow disc florets of an Oxeye Daisy against the background of windblown leaf littered grass and a tree lined lake.
November 9, 2025 at 8:29 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Pink-sorrel a fence jumped garden escapee on an urban green space #WildflowerHour
Pink-sorrel flowers amongst leaf littered grass
November 9, 2025 at 8:19 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
A Shroom with a view. Shaggy Scalycap #FungiFriday #Fungi #FungiFriends
A pair of Shaggy Scalycaps emerging from a nearby Oak tree trunk amongst leaf litter. Tree branches and a large lake waterbody in the background
November 7, 2025 at 1:57 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
The Limetree Avenue, National Trust Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire #ThickTrunkTuesday
One half of the double planted Limetree Avenue merging into the far background. This is replicated on both sides of the Avenue road. Originally planted in 1838 by the 4th Duke of Newcastle. The black grease based bands were applied to the trunks in the 1960s to trap the wingless female Winter Moths that crawled up the trunks looking for male suitors. After mating the resultant caterpillars were stripping the trees bare of their leaves.
November 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Not overly brilliant at fungi identification but sometimes it appears to be just too obvious. Round headed and stood in dung. Dung Roundheads, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire #FungiFriends #FungiFriday
Two yellowish mushrooms emerging from dung amongst cattle grazed grass and heathland
October 31, 2025 at 11:29 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Field Scabious a final glimpse of Summer amongst the Autumnal brown stems and seedheads of Common Knapweed #WildflowrHour
A lilac flower of Field Scabiius against a backdrop of browned Common Knapweed stems and seedheads. Two still green Field Scabious seedheads are also visible.
October 26, 2025 at 8:41 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
We are the Shaggy Inkcaps and we may pop up here and there in some not so expected grassy places. Shaggy Inkcap, rural roadside verge, Lincolnshire #WildfungiHour #WildflowerHour
Shaggy Inkcap fungi on a grassy rural roadside verge covered in fallen leaf litter.
October 26, 2025 at 8:30 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Common puffball, Skellingthorpe Old Wood, Lincolnshire #FungiFriday #Fungi #FungiFriends
Two white textured almost sea anemone like mushrooms amongst grass and fallen leaf litter.
October 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Rosy Bonnets, Skellingthorpe Old Wood, Lincolnshire #FungiFriday #FungiFriends
Three pinkish capped mushrooms amongst grass, fallen leaf litter and bramble
October 24, 2025 at 7:28 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Hedgerow Crane’s-bill amongst the concrete remnants of a former Lincolnshire airfield #WildflowerHour
Hedgerow-Crane’s-bill against a backdrop of concrete succeeded by moss, grasses and other vegetation
October 19, 2025 at 7:59 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
With a hint of pareidolia, this fantastic Selfheal flower at the edge of our garden path has been watching me go to work all week and was still around this late afternoon to see me in after a working weekend #WildflowerHour
A Selfheal flower amongst Muscari straps at the edge of a concrete path. Some viewers may be able to see a face or two amongst its purple bracts and calyces
October 19, 2025 at 7:39 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
A Restharrow of sorts but despite some apparent spines, which one I am still not sure. #WildflowerHour
October 12, 2025 at 7:56 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Field Madder. Most conspicuous in the size of its very tiny mauve-pink flowers. A new one for me observed along a well trodden Lincolnshire farmland footpath #WildflowerHour
2-3 mm Mauve-pink flowers of Field Madder amongst their whorled, pointed green leaves.
October 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Perhaps a Rooting Shank if anyone could confirm please. #FungiFriday #FungiFriends
A slender stemmed mushroom growing out of a decaying cut stump amongst grasses and Wild Strawberry. The cap gills can be seen from underneath. A view of the mushroom cap
October 10, 2025 at 9:09 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Last weekends unposted #WildflowerHour pic but on closer inspection this Creeping Thistle on the edge of a River Witham flood bank is covered in aphids with three Seven-spot Ladybirds amongst them. #WildWebsWednesday
Creeping Thistle against the backdrop of grassy river floodplain. The thistle stem is covered in aphids. Three Seven-spot Ladybirds may well be feeding on them.
October 8, 2025 at 9:34 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
English Oak at Norton Big Wood, Lincolnshire on #ThickTrunkTuesday
A robustly trunked English Oak tree rising above bare ground covered in acorns against a backdrop of Silver Birch, bramble and bracken
October 7, 2025 at 11:54 AM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Popping the last of its buttons. This Tansy clump has been centre stage on a small area of urban lakeside grass that I have refrained from mowing for the last five years #WildFlowerHour
Bright button like yellow flowers of Tansy against a background of its own still green leaves and browning senescent stems and blurred lake horizon.
October 5, 2025 at 7:46 PM
johnfen1.bsky.social
Spiney winged stems, leaves and bracts. A formidable Spear Thistle easing itself through the fencing on the Culverthorpe Hall Estate, Lincolnshire #WildFlowerHour
A pink-purple Spear Thistle flower with all of its spiney winged stems leaves and bracts against the background of rusted metal fencing autumn leaf covered grass and shrubs
October 5, 2025 at 7:20 PM