Red loves to run.

And in my heart, she always will.

Goodbye, best girl.

We're delighted to be able to announce dates for our return to Sicily next spring, for what promises to be another superb Orchids of Sicily tour.

Led by the orchid-hunting dream team of legendary Sicilian naturalist Andrea Corso, and ecologist Esther Pawley, this tour... (1/3)

Nor was our Orchids of Sicily tour all about the Ophrys bee orchids. How could it be, with such a variety of other orchids, their hybrids*, and compelling colour forms to enjoy?!

*special one here for Leif Bersweden 😉

Just a few of the many species of colourful Ophrys bee orchids our recent Orchids of Sicily tour participants were treated to.

The island is a hotbed for their kind, with many species and forms represented across it. We were in a bee orchid wonderland.

We were delighted to discover our first Sea Coconut yesterday, a sea bean we never really expected to find here. So we were utterly shocked to stumble upon another on Vatersay this evening! It seemed so improbable we had to sit down for a few minutes while realisation sank in.

Good morning! Can one ever have too many Lady Orchids, we wonder? We think not!

It's been a joy for our guests on our recent Spring Butterflies of Central & North Spain tour to regularly encounter these lovely flowers growing on roadside verges, and in field & woodland margins

Popped over to Cleat to check out a report of a dead seabird on the beach and accidentally found a freshly arrived Sea Coconut aka Golf-ball Bean from the American tropics, a new sea bean species for us and one we never realistically expected to find on Barra.

26/4/24 Kent - Dropped by Kent in preparation of our Mariposa Nature Tours orchid tour in early June that I'm co-leading with Jon Dunn 🇺🇦. Was a nice excuse to catch up with this awesome mirrorless Early Spider #Orchid (Ophrys sphegodes). Reminds me of my hairline! #wildflowerhour

Despite some challenging weather earlier today in the Spanish Pyrenees, we persevered on our Spring Butterflies of Central & N Spain tour, and finally got our just rewards - sunshine, orchids and butterflies! Highlights this afternoon many Lady Orchids, and smart Panoptes Blues.

A Small Copper from yesterday in the Montes Universales with Mariposa Nature Tours, and an Iberian Sooty Copper from last year at the same location. The former species often shows blue spots on the hindwing; it's a more infrequent aberration in the latter species.

One of several confiding Iberian Sooty Coppers enjoyed today by our guests on our Spring Butterflies of Central & Northern Spain tour. We're now in the Spanish Pyrenees for the next couple of days - looking forward to seeing what we find.

2/52 #OrchidsOfRhodes April 2024 #AnOrchidAWeek

Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum)💜

Dancing on a carpet of pine needles, illuminated by a shard of light filtering through the forest canopy
#orchids #wildflowers

Good morning. Stopped off on my way home late yesterday for a little stroll & wasn't expecting to see a Waxwing!! What a fantastic treat; made my day! 🤍 Happy Thursday everyone🕊 #TwitterNatureCommunity #nature #BirdsSeenIn2024 #birds #NaturePhotography

If there's a prettier Marbled White than Western, I'd like to know about it.

A marvellous start to our Spring Butterflies of Central & Northern Spain tour this afternoon, with good numbers of fresh Spring Ringlet and Berger's Clouded Yellow flying together over flowery hillsides. Happy guests, and happy tour leaders!

Today we made our annual pilgrimage to wander among thousands of Early Purple Orchids in a Cornish coastal meadow.

#WildflowerHour

Good morning, and welcome to a new week! Our orchid tours to Rhodes and Sicily are finished, and we're delighted to confirm we've made our first donations to our friends at BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, to support the important conservation research work they undertake. (1/2)

A thread on inappropriate (re)introductions. It’s a little long (sorry) and perhaps a little grumpy (sorry again). Arguing against the work of others is rarely a good look, especially as we are all, essentially, on the same side, but… 1/21

Purple Saxifrage on Stob Binnein, Perthshire! One of our earliest flowering mountain plants, and in my opinion one of the best! Every spring I fall in love with it all over again 😍
#wildflowerhour

Lovely Red Mason bees have emerged despite the cold & windy weather. They seem to like the Green Alkanet flowers; glad there are plenty around now for them 💚 #bees #nature

Sorry I've been quiet, been dealing with a few challenging things! Wishing everyone a good new week 🕊