Al
@valezina15.bsky.social
Gardener, birder and insect enthusiast. Happiest outdoors!
Pinned
Al
@valezina15.bsky.social
· Dec 31
New Year, new platform. All the best for 2025. Here's a picture of my favourite butterfly, the valezina form of Silver-washed Fritillary.
Reposted by Al
Your Sunday Poem ✨️
• Kenneth C. Steven •
• Kenneth C. Steven •
December 14, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Your Sunday Poem ✨️
• Kenneth C. Steven •
• Kenneth C. Steven •
Reposted by Al
#Day13
Two ducks
Paddle through
Winter haze.
The sheep on the hill
Are clothed in gold.
Breath turns to dragon-fire.
Winter's alchemy.
#DailyNature #naturewriting #UKcanals #winter
Two ducks
Paddle through
Winter haze.
The sheep on the hill
Are clothed in gold.
Breath turns to dragon-fire.
Winter's alchemy.
#DailyNature #naturewriting #UKcanals #winter
December 13, 2025 at 9:26 AM
#Day13
Two ducks
Paddle through
Winter haze.
The sheep on the hill
Are clothed in gold.
Breath turns to dragon-fire.
Winter's alchemy.
#DailyNature #naturewriting #UKcanals #winter
Two ducks
Paddle through
Winter haze.
The sheep on the hill
Are clothed in gold.
Breath turns to dragon-fire.
Winter's alchemy.
#DailyNature #naturewriting #UKcanals #winter
Reposted by Al
Beautiful light on the buildings and trees of York yesterday afternoon. Riverside path still partly under water!
December 13, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Beautiful light on the buildings and trees of York yesterday afternoon. Riverside path still partly under water!
Reposted by Al
A huge milestone for #WilderHumber! 🌊
This is the UK’s largest intertidal restoration and the first oysters at Spurn since the 1940s! 🦪 Boosting biodiversity & coastal resilience.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5lq9v0lqgo
This is the UK’s largest intertidal restoration and the first oysters at Spurn since the 1940s! 🦪 Boosting biodiversity & coastal resilience.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5lq9v0lqgo
About 250,000 native oysters released into Humber Estuary
The reintroduction is part of a rewilding project which aims to restore the extinct shellfish.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 3:46 PM
A huge milestone for #WilderHumber! 🌊
This is the UK’s largest intertidal restoration and the first oysters at Spurn since the 1940s! 🦪 Boosting biodiversity & coastal resilience.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5lq9v0lqgo
This is the UK’s largest intertidal restoration and the first oysters at Spurn since the 1940s! 🦪 Boosting biodiversity & coastal resilience.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5lq9v0lqgo
Reposted by Al
Our #LondonBlueChain team had a creative session facilitated by the talented Claire Blundell-Jones & hosted at Creekside Discovery Centre.
Participants painted a pond using ink & water & sketching reflections from Creekside’s own pond. The group even came across a female smooth newt!
Participants painted a pond using ink & water & sketching reflections from Creekside’s own pond. The group even came across a female smooth newt!
December 12, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Our #LondonBlueChain team had a creative session facilitated by the talented Claire Blundell-Jones & hosted at Creekside Discovery Centre.
Participants painted a pond using ink & water & sketching reflections from Creekside’s own pond. The group even came across a female smooth newt!
Participants painted a pond using ink & water & sketching reflections from Creekside’s own pond. The group even came across a female smooth newt!
Reposted by Al
The algorithms are making it a lot harder to spread the word about these online talks. Although numbers are still reasonable, it would be a great help if folk were able to give the 30 December event a quick share 🙂
Booking available here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...
Booking available here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...
December 11, 2025 at 8:03 PM
The algorithms are making it a lot harder to spread the word about these online talks. Although numbers are still reasonable, it would be a great help if folk were able to give the 30 December event a quick share 🙂
Booking available here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...
Booking available here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...
Reposted by Al
Scotland hosts some of the rarest dragonfly species in Britain. Now, an assemblage of Bog Pool specialists has been added to the Scottish Biodiversity List. Find out more and why this is important: british-dragonflies.org.uk/importance-o...
December 12, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Scotland hosts some of the rarest dragonfly species in Britain. Now, an assemblage of Bog Pool specialists has been added to the Scottish Biodiversity List. Find out more and why this is important: british-dragonflies.org.uk/importance-o...
Reposted by Al
A government you are part of and my MP @damedianajohnson.bsky.social
I wonder how you feel about reneging on this promise?
I imagine you won't engage with this here, which is fine. But I want you to know I feel utterly despondent.
I wonder how you feel about reneging on this promise?
I imagine you won't engage with this here, which is fine. But I want you to know I feel utterly despondent.
This Government once vowed to be “the most nature-positive [we have] ever had”.
Months of blaming wildlife and stripping back protections have already made a mockery of that promise.
And if the rumoured cuts to BNG go ahead, it will deal yet another devastating blow to nature.
Months of blaming wildlife and stripping back protections have already made a mockery of that promise.
And if the rumoured cuts to BNG go ahead, it will deal yet another devastating blow to nature.
December 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
A government you are part of and my MP @damedianajohnson.bsky.social
I wonder how you feel about reneging on this promise?
I imagine you won't engage with this here, which is fine. But I want you to know I feel utterly despondent.
I wonder how you feel about reneging on this promise?
I imagine you won't engage with this here, which is fine. But I want you to know I feel utterly despondent.
Reposted by Al
"I love the dark hours of my being.
My mind deepens into them.
There I can find, as in old letters,
the days of my life, already lived,
and held like a legend, and understood."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Winter Night in the Forest (1888)
🎨 Ladislav Mednyánszky
My mind deepens into them.
There I can find, as in old letters,
the days of my life, already lived,
and held like a legend, and understood."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Winter Night in the Forest (1888)
🎨 Ladislav Mednyánszky
December 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
"I love the dark hours of my being.
My mind deepens into them.
There I can find, as in old letters,
the days of my life, already lived,
and held like a legend, and understood."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Winter Night in the Forest (1888)
🎨 Ladislav Mednyánszky
My mind deepens into them.
There I can find, as in old letters,
the days of my life, already lived,
and held like a legend, and understood."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke
Winter Night in the Forest (1888)
🎨 Ladislav Mednyánszky
Reposted by Al
This Government once vowed to be “the most nature-positive [we have] ever had”.
Months of blaming wildlife and stripping back protections have already made a mockery of that promise.
And if the rumoured cuts to BNG go ahead, it will deal yet another devastating blow to nature.
Months of blaming wildlife and stripping back protections have already made a mockery of that promise.
And if the rumoured cuts to BNG go ahead, it will deal yet another devastating blow to nature.
December 11, 2025 at 2:52 PM
This Government once vowed to be “the most nature-positive [we have] ever had”.
Months of blaming wildlife and stripping back protections have already made a mockery of that promise.
And if the rumoured cuts to BNG go ahead, it will deal yet another devastating blow to nature.
Months of blaming wildlife and stripping back protections have already made a mockery of that promise.
And if the rumoured cuts to BNG go ahead, it will deal yet another devastating blow to nature.
Reposted by Al
Restoring Yorkshire’s peatlands! 🌱
Over 800ha of bog at #HumberheadLevels is being revived to lock carbon, boost biodiversity & reduce floods.
Learn more 👉 www.ywt.org.uk/blog/yorkshire-wildlife-trust/bringing-back-bog-peatland-restoration-humberhead-levels
#PeatlandRestoration
Over 800ha of bog at #HumberheadLevels is being revived to lock carbon, boost biodiversity & reduce floods.
Learn more 👉 www.ywt.org.uk/blog/yorkshire-wildlife-trust/bringing-back-bog-peatland-restoration-humberhead-levels
#PeatlandRestoration
Bringing back the bog: peatland restoration in the Humberhead Levels | Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
A major project run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is utilising methods like peat bunds and sphagnum planting to restore over 800 hectares of the…
www.ywt.org.uk
December 11, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Restoring Yorkshire’s peatlands! 🌱
Over 800ha of bog at #HumberheadLevels is being revived to lock carbon, boost biodiversity & reduce floods.
Learn more 👉 www.ywt.org.uk/blog/yorkshire-wildlife-trust/bringing-back-bog-peatland-restoration-humberhead-levels
#PeatlandRestoration
Over 800ha of bog at #HumberheadLevels is being revived to lock carbon, boost biodiversity & reduce floods.
Learn more 👉 www.ywt.org.uk/blog/yorkshire-wildlife-trust/bringing-back-bog-peatland-restoration-humberhead-levels
#PeatlandRestoration
Reposted by Al
Gall of the week is that of the cynipid wasp Aylax papaver on poppies, Papaver spp. An ungalled seedhead is included.
Photo by Peter Shirley
Photo by Peter Shirley
December 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Gall of the week is that of the cynipid wasp Aylax papaver on poppies, Papaver spp. An ungalled seedhead is included.
Photo by Peter Shirley
Photo by Peter Shirley
Reposted by Al
The dedication C.S. Lewis placed at the start of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is something rather wonderful.
December 9, 2025 at 5:54 PM
The dedication C.S. Lewis placed at the start of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is something rather wonderful.
Reposted by Al
actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk/end-peat-sal... End peat sales. A petition. Thankyou.
Sign the petition to end peat sales!
No more delays: Let's get peat out of gardens once and for all. The time for uncertainty has ended.
actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk
December 8, 2025 at 6:01 AM
actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk/end-peat-sal... End peat sales. A petition. Thankyou.
Reposted by Al
Sunday #eveningread
Emily Brontë wrote what I am feeling now.
Emily Brontë wrote what I am feeling now.
December 7, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Sunday #eveningread
Emily Brontë wrote what I am feeling now.
Emily Brontë wrote what I am feeling now.
Reposted by Al
"Wilderness is a necessity ... there must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls."
~ John Muir
In the Forest at Winter (1885)
🎨 Isaac Levitan
~ John Muir
In the Forest at Winter (1885)
🎨 Isaac Levitan
December 7, 2025 at 6:06 PM
"Wilderness is a necessity ... there must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls."
~ John Muir
In the Forest at Winter (1885)
🎨 Isaac Levitan
~ John Muir
In the Forest at Winter (1885)
🎨 Isaac Levitan
Quick visit to @northcavewet.bsky.social for a breath of air before Christmas shopping. Very atmospheric with the Teal and Lapwings calling and occasional glimpses of sun through the misty drizzle. Delighted to see 2 Bitterns from the Turret Hide! @nybirdnews.bsky.social
December 6, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Quick visit to @northcavewet.bsky.social for a breath of air before Christmas shopping. Very atmospheric with the Teal and Lapwings calling and occasional glimpses of sun through the misty drizzle. Delighted to see 2 Bitterns from the Turret Hide! @nybirdnews.bsky.social
Reposted by Al
"May you be forever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart. Isn't such a moment sufficient for the whole of one's life?"
~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Road in Vetheuil in Winter
🎨 Claude Monet (1879)
~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Road in Vetheuil in Winter
🎨 Claude Monet (1879)
December 6, 2025 at 7:12 AM
"May you be forever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart. Isn't such a moment sufficient for the whole of one's life?"
~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Road in Vetheuil in Winter
🎨 Claude Monet (1879)
~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Road in Vetheuil in Winter
🎨 Claude Monet (1879)
Reposted by Al
Not many people need a cherry-picker to decorate their Christmas tree, but the team at Cragside do.
Their tree stands an incredible 44.7 metres tall - more than twice the height of the Angel of the North. And... it's a record breaker.
Their tree stands an incredible 44.7 metres tall - more than twice the height of the Angel of the North. And... it's a record breaker.
December 6, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Not many people need a cherry-picker to decorate their Christmas tree, but the team at Cragside do.
Their tree stands an incredible 44.7 metres tall - more than twice the height of the Angel of the North. And... it's a record breaker.
Their tree stands an incredible 44.7 metres tall - more than twice the height of the Angel of the North. And... it's a record breaker.
Reposted by Al
The appeal to buy Giant Hill for conservation is underway but still far from the target. Please support if you can, to help the National Trust buy this vital site for butterflies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/a...
Donate to the Cerne Abbas Nature Appeal
Donate to the Cerne Abbas Appeal so together, we can help restore the land, habitats and species that live there.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
December 5, 2025 at 1:57 PM
The appeal to buy Giant Hill for conservation is underway but still far from the target. Please support if you can, to help the National Trust buy this vital site for butterflies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/a...
Reposted by Al
It's been a long wait but an advance copy of 'Grasshoppers' has finally arrived. It's been worth the wait with excellent printing
December 5, 2025 at 2:46 PM
It's been a long wait but an advance copy of 'Grasshoppers' has finally arrived. It's been worth the wait with excellent printing
Reposted by Al
Gall of the week is caused by the cynipid wasp Cynips longiventris f. agamic on oaks, Quercus spp.
Photo by Peter Shirley
Photo by Peter Shirley
December 4, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Gall of the week is caused by the cynipid wasp Cynips longiventris f. agamic on oaks, Quercus spp.
Photo by Peter Shirley
Photo by Peter Shirley
Reposted by Al
Two scenes by Richard Scarry to
gladden the hearts of all introverts 🙂
gladden the hearts of all introverts 🙂
December 2, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Two scenes by Richard Scarry to
gladden the hearts of all introverts 🙂
gladden the hearts of all introverts 🙂
Reposted by Al
Great news that the National Trust hopes to buy Giant Hill, one of the most important butterfly sites in Dorset. Please support the appeal if you can. Our Branch have been monitoring the site for decades and helping to maintain species like the Duke of Burgundy www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
National Trust launches fundraiser to help buy land around Cerne Giant
Deal expected to pave way for further scientific study, boost conservation and open up access to Dorset chalk figure
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Great news that the National Trust hopes to buy Giant Hill, one of the most important butterfly sites in Dorset. Please support the appeal if you can. Our Branch have been monitoring the site for decades and helping to maintain species like the Duke of Burgundy www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...