Joey Pickard
@bootlegbryos.bsky.social
Your friendly neighbourhood peat and moss person
I mostly work on habitat restoration and upland research in south Wales for @havenecology.bsky.social , @adfernatur.bsky.social Swansea Uni & Lost Peatlands, views my own etc
I mostly work on habitat restoration and upland research in south Wales for @havenecology.bsky.social , @adfernatur.bsky.social Swansea Uni & Lost Peatlands, views my own etc
Unofficially repping @adfernatur.bsky.social at the @sewbrec.org.uk recorders forum today. Some great talks so far, including one all about plants so I’m happy! Looking forward to the coal spoil talks in the afternoon
January 31, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Unofficially repping @adfernatur.bsky.social at the @sewbrec.org.uk recorders forum today. Some great talks so far, including one all about plants so I’m happy! Looking forward to the coal spoil talks in the afternoon
Trawling through old photos and found this of Scytodes thoracica, the spitting spider, from my old flat in Brynmill. In 2020 this was the western-most record in Wales on inaturalist, but someone found one two roads over last year. I’m further west now, I need to find another to get my pride back!
January 28, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Trawling through old photos and found this of Scytodes thoracica, the spitting spider, from my old flat in Brynmill. In 2020 this was the western-most record in Wales on inaturalist, but someone found one two roads over last year. I’m further west now, I need to find another to get my pride back!
There’s a fantastic photo of a cap woven from Polytrichum commune in Melanie Giles’ Bog Bodies book. I find it really fun that this moss was used to weave a cap that looks like hair, and its common name is haircap moss, but that’s not the reason why it’s just a coincidence!
January 22, 2026 at 8:50 PM
There’s a fantastic photo of a cap woven from Polytrichum commune in Melanie Giles’ Bog Bodies book. I find it really fun that this moss was used to weave a cap that looks like hair, and its common name is haircap moss, but that’s not the reason why it’s just a coincidence!
Nice bit of Frullania dilatata that I spotted on a willow in a farm yard waiting for people during peat surveys. Left my hand lens at home and missed the Metzgeria furcata until I looked at the photos. At least I know where it is so I can go back to get some for microscope photos. Love liverworts!
January 20, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Nice bit of Frullania dilatata that I spotted on a willow in a farm yard waiting for people during peat surveys. Left my hand lens at home and missed the Metzgeria furcata until I looked at the photos. At least I know where it is so I can go back to get some for microscope photos. Love liverworts!
Two Lost Peatlands site visits in two days, this one with worse weather. Nice to see the timber dams holding well and talk to colleagues who may be contract managing about approaches for ECoW and work specs for upcoming restoration sites for next winter. Downside, Indy left his ball on site.
January 20, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Two Lost Peatlands site visits in two days, this one with worse weather. Nice to see the timber dams holding well and talk to colleagues who may be contract managing about approaches for ECoW and work specs for upcoming restoration sites for next winter. Downside, Indy left his ball on site.
Interesting site visit yesterday as part of Lost Peatlands to try and figure out how we work on part of this site that has unexploded bomb risks, livestock, limited peat, and the drains I want to block are part of a scheduled ancient monument. Luckily we had a good outcome and discussion with Cadw
January 20, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Interesting site visit yesterday as part of Lost Peatlands to try and figure out how we work on part of this site that has unexploded bomb risks, livestock, limited peat, and the drains I want to block are part of a scheduled ancient monument. Luckily we had a good outcome and discussion with Cadw
It always feels a bit sacrilegious to me to dig trial pits in the bog but needs must to check how deep in the peat the oxidation was at the upper Cwmparc peat site and if we can actually make the bunds we proposed. Several pits and von posts later, I think we can. Here’s the upper 20-30cm ish ⬇️
January 14, 2026 at 2:41 PM
It always feels a bit sacrilegious to me to dig trial pits in the bog but needs must to check how deep in the peat the oxidation was at the upper Cwmparc peat site and if we can actually make the bunds we proposed. Several pits and von posts later, I think we can. Here’s the upper 20-30cm ish ⬇️
Managed to find some winter sun for site walkovers at our Cwmparc peat restoration site yesterday. Almost immediately after three of my colleagues left, when it had been raining and foggy all the time they were on site. Still nice to not be at a desk even in awful weather!
January 14, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Managed to find some winter sun for site walkovers at our Cwmparc peat restoration site yesterday. Almost immediately after three of my colleagues left, when it had been raining and foggy all the time they were on site. Still nice to not be at a desk even in awful weather!
Of course, presented without comment. I have acquired a new ink for my fountain pen
January 12, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Of course, presented without comment. I have acquired a new ink for my fountain pen
An incredibly proud moment seeing my Sphagnum moss stitch amongst the other fantastic displays from the moss worlds project at the Castlefield Viaduct visitors centre. Huge congrats to the moss worlds team on a fantastic project and great exhibition. If you’re around Manchester - go and see it!
December 5, 2025 at 5:40 PM
An incredibly proud moment seeing my Sphagnum moss stitch amongst the other fantastic displays from the moss worlds project at the Castlefield Viaduct visitors centre. Huge congrats to the moss worlds team on a fantastic project and great exhibition. If you’re around Manchester - go and see it!
First field day in a while this week at probably my favourite peat site of the year at Cwmparc. We managed to find some incredible macrofossils preserved close to the boundary with the underlying clay and bedrock strata. Almost intact Sphagnum plants with entire stem and branch sections! Great fun
December 3, 2025 at 10:47 AM
First field day in a while this week at probably my favourite peat site of the year at Cwmparc. We managed to find some incredible macrofossils preserved close to the boundary with the underlying clay and bedrock strata. Almost intact Sphagnum plants with entire stem and branch sections! Great fun
As I approach old age (30) it’s pretty rare I find myself out for late nights. Zero chance of missing Matt Stewart’s stand up show this week though, he made it all the way from Melbourne to Swansea! Great time, still laughing and a nice distraction from *gestures at the bin fire we call the UK*
September 13, 2025 at 8:17 PM
As I approach old age (30) it’s pretty rare I find myself out for late nights. Zero chance of missing Matt Stewart’s stand up show this week though, he made it all the way from Melbourne to Swansea! Great time, still laughing and a nice distraction from *gestures at the bin fire we call the UK*
The only photo I managed to take today, if you look closely you can even see the rain! Despite the very changeable weather it was nice to be on Castell Nos peatland site again after a year to see how it’s doing. Also nice to be with other bog nerds from the @peatlandcymru.bsky.social NPAP team
September 11, 2025 at 7:52 PM
The only photo I managed to take today, if you look closely you can even see the rain! Despite the very changeable weather it was nice to be on Castell Nos peatland site again after a year to see how it’s doing. Also nice to be with other bog nerds from the @peatlandcymru.bsky.social NPAP team
For those who have never had the joys of wading through a stream or crawling through dense vegetation looking for water voles to inform your peat restoration constraints, here’s a close up of the target from the second photo showing the droppings, and also a burrow in the bank
September 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
For those who have never had the joys of wading through a stream or crawling through dense vegetation looking for water voles to inform your peat restoration constraints, here’s a close up of the target from the second photo showing the droppings, and also a burrow in the bank
Very atmospheric (c.f. rainy) day out in the Rhondda doing water vole surveys for Lost Peatlands sites at Mynyndd Ton and then Cwmparc. Great to have @inccymru.bsky.social with us as well for the day. Been a while since I’ve been in the Cwm and it’s fantastic, despite the razor sharp tussock sedge
September 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Very atmospheric (c.f. rainy) day out in the Rhondda doing water vole surveys for Lost Peatlands sites at Mynyndd Ton and then Cwmparc. Great to have @inccymru.bsky.social with us as well for the day. Been a while since I’ve been in the Cwm and it’s fantastic, despite the razor sharp tussock sedge
Stunning place for a puncture! I know the Skoda Yeti has its fans and it’s served me pretty well on my peaty and ecology adventures but file this one under ‘how to ruin a car by giving it stupid sized wheels’. I miss my Land Rover every day.
August 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Stunning place for a puncture! I know the Skoda Yeti has its fans and it’s served me pretty well on my peaty and ecology adventures but file this one under ‘how to ruin a car by giving it stupid sized wheels’. I miss my Land Rover every day.
Increasingly jealous of there being not one but two giant artworks in peatland restoration sites in Ireland where they’ve made first a curlew, and now a lapwing from the bunds. Time to start a crowdfund to make one in the Rhondda of that one sheep who harasses you for ice cream on top of the Bwlch
August 7, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Increasingly jealous of there being not one but two giant artworks in peatland restoration sites in Ireland where they’ve made first a curlew, and now a lapwing from the bunds. Time to start a crowdfund to make one in the Rhondda of that one sheep who harasses you for ice cream on top of the Bwlch
Found more labyrinth spiders on a lowland peat survey today. Didn’t manage to get the best photo but it made its funnel web through a very loose stand of Juncus and you could see the whole funnel structure, fascinating to look at
August 1, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Found more labyrinth spiders on a lowland peat survey today. Didn’t manage to get the best photo but it made its funnel web through a very loose stand of Juncus and you could see the whole funnel structure, fascinating to look at
Where are the slime mould people on this app and can they please confirm if this is Didymium spongiosum (which is also mucilago crustacea reclassified?) growing on Sphagnum and Molinia in an upland peatland in the Valleys? Not one I’ve seen before in a bog and it’s thrown me
July 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Where are the slime mould people on this app and can they please confirm if this is Didymium spongiosum (which is also mucilago crustacea reclassified?) growing on Sphagnum and Molinia in an upland peatland in the Valleys? Not one I’ve seen before in a bog and it’s thrown me
The red longhorn is the first longhorn beetle I’ve seen in the Valleys uplands for a while - not that I’ve been actively looking for them - the last one was a two banded longhorn I found during afforested peat GHG surveys
July 26, 2025 at 4:13 PM
The red longhorn is the first longhorn beetle I’ve seen in the Valleys uplands for a while - not that I’ve been actively looking for them - the last one was a two banded longhorn I found during afforested peat GHG surveys
Two species added to the ongoing tally for upland peatland inverts in the Valleys for me. Red longhorn beetle and common carpet moth
July 26, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Two species added to the ongoing tally for upland peatland inverts in the Valleys for me. Red longhorn beetle and common carpet moth
It was Indy’s first field day back on peatland e-collie-gist duty after his foot injury. One very happy dog. He also spent some time supervising @mikeshewring.bsky.social to make sure Mike’s work was up to Indy’s high standards
July 21, 2025 at 3:04 PM
It was Indy’s first field day back on peatland e-collie-gist duty after his foot injury. One very happy dog. He also spent some time supervising @mikeshewring.bsky.social to make sure Mike’s work was up to Indy’s high standards
Jean Cors Van Damme
(Cors is Welsh for bog so this is in fact a very well thought out and excellent joke, trust me)
Thanks to @mikeshewring.bsky.social for the photo of this very normal approach to surveying peat drains
(Cors is Welsh for bog so this is in fact a very well thought out and excellent joke, trust me)
Thanks to @mikeshewring.bsky.social for the photo of this very normal approach to surveying peat drains
July 16, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Jean Cors Van Damme
(Cors is Welsh for bog so this is in fact a very well thought out and excellent joke, trust me)
Thanks to @mikeshewring.bsky.social for the photo of this very normal approach to surveying peat drains
(Cors is Welsh for bog so this is in fact a very well thought out and excellent joke, trust me)
Thanks to @mikeshewring.bsky.social for the photo of this very normal approach to surveying peat drains
And some depth surveys post fire for a site at Cefn Rhondda. Not much deep peat where the trees established and then got crisped. Then much deeper in the open section which seemingly burned less and had massive hummocks of Sphagnum, but not much other mire veg, seems common for forested peat here
July 14, 2025 at 7:07 PM
And some depth surveys post fire for a site at Cefn Rhondda. Not much deep peat where the trees established and then got crisped. Then much deeper in the open section which seemingly burned less and had massive hummocks of Sphagnum, but not much other mire veg, seems common for forested peat here
Interesting couple of sites for the new #LostPeatlands project surveyed today. Massive drains through this remnant peat feature near Cwmaman, there’s a 1m peat probe in the drain if you can spot it.
July 14, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Interesting couple of sites for the new #LostPeatlands project surveyed today. Massive drains through this remnant peat feature near Cwmaman, there’s a 1m peat probe in the drain if you can spot it.