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James Bashford

@wrenandbee.bsky.social

940 followers 1.1K following 440 posts

Neurologist, scientist, father, moth-er, writer. Author of Nature Within. #NatureWithin 🌳 https://linktr.ee/drjamesbashford

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · Aug 3

If you’re interested in any of Nature, health, biodiversity, climate, philosophy, geology, sustainability, evolution…

…or even how an individual bird duets with itself…

…then you might enjoy Nature Within.

🦋 🐛 🍁 🐜 🦢 🍄 🌳 🐝 🐞
🦔 🦎 🌸 🦜 🦒 🪱 🦉 🐦‍⬛ 🌿

You can pre-order here: tinyurl.com/Nature-Within

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 7h

L-album Wainscot to light a couple of weeks ago 🤎 🤍

‘Album’ meaning ‘white’ in Latin, denoting the colour of the ‘L’ in the middle of each wing.

#TeamMoth #NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 1d

This is a marvellous app to boost your engagement with the natural world.

www.encounter-nature.com

Full of nuggets and snippets to delight you.

Check it out!

Encounter

A guided nature journal for iPhone and Android users in Britain and Ireland, full of seasonal prompts and ideas

www.encounter-nature.com

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 1d

Another reminder of the extraordinary process that is metamorphosis.

Here’s the Lime Hawkmoth, before and after 💚

#NatureWithin #TeamMoth

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 2d

Blue-tailed Damselfly (from July)

🩵 🩵

#NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 3d

Elephant Hawkmoth as:

Larva 🐛
&
Adult 🦋

#TeamMoth #NatureWithin

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 5d

I’ve been reliably informed that the moth here pictured is in fact a faded Buff Ermine. We live and we learn 😃

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 5d

White Ermine 🤎 🤍

Before and after metamorphosis 🤯

#TeamMoth #NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 6d

#NatureWithin #Quotes @pelagic.bsky.social

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 7d

Giant Polypore 🍄‍🟫

#NatureWithin

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 8d

Memories of the summer gone…

Jersey Tiger

(Or, as I recently discovered, alternatively known as Spanish Flag 🇪🇸)

#TeamMoth #NatureWithin

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 9d

Here’s a piece I made called Illuminate 💡

#NatureWithin #TheMothCollection

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 10d

These orange poppies crop up periodically from the cracks of our driveway.

And in their bright creases and fleeting existence there’s an admirable fragility.

🧡 🧡 🧡

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 12d

Bundle! On the left are a group of Firebugs huddling together.

These are a distinct species from the similar Cinnamon Bug on the right.

❤️ 🖤

#NatureWithin

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 12d

It was great to speak about #NatureWithin at the University of Cambridge Alumni Festival today.

Such an engaging and thought-provoking discussion with the audience followed.

It gives me faith that there are plenty of likeminded people out there! 💚 🍃 🐛

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 13d

Thanks Bill. It’s a mighty challenge indeed, one that will never be entirely overcome I’m sure.

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 13d

These spangle galls on the underside of an oak leaf contain the larvae of the Common Spangle Gall Wasp.

♥️ 💛 💚

Nature is fascinating!

#NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 13d

A short article that featured today in our local magazine, the Stansted Link 😊

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 14d

Here’s a beauty from my Essex garden in August…

A female Spongy Moth (aka Gypsy Moth) 🤍 🖤

#NatureWithin #TeamMoth

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 15d

In the introduction of Nature Within, I begin with the species pictured below… the Common Alder.

And how a very special symbiotic relationship allows this tree to grow where others fail.

You can pre-order Nature Within at pelagicpublishing.com with a 25% discount code: NATURE25

#NatureWithin

Male catkin (left), female catkin (top) and cone (right) of the Common Alder tree.

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 16d

Here’s a moth with one of the best names…

Toadflax Brocade 🤍 🤎

(Seen a month ago in Essex, UK)

#TeamMoth #NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 17d

Silk button galls on the underside of an oak leaf in autumn.

Each one harbours a developing Silk Button Gall Wasp larva.

Which will overwinter on its fallen leaf and emerge as an adult next spring.

#NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 19d

That’s great to know. Thank you!

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 19d

Some recent egg clusters on elm leaves 🥚 🍃

Does anyone know what they’ll turn out to be? (Because I have no idea!)

#NatureWithin

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James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 20d

Although gummosis generally reflects a state of poor health for fruit trees, it can still be rather beautiful in the right light.

Here’s some cherry jelly… 🍒 🪼

James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 21d

#NatureWithin #Quotes @pelagic.bsky.social