Steven Oliver
@steven-oliver
Recovering public health academic (retired) Now mainly: natural world | history | prison education | research ethics
💚💚 Emeralds 💚💚 A male and immature female Emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) in the rushes surrounding Goathland Tarn today
A morning on North Yorkshire peat, hunting acid-loving 🧪 dragons. Finally rewarded with this female Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) by Goathland Tarn 😀
Conveniently at eye-level for once 😀 a Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus) at Askham Bog today. Elsewhere: Southern & Brown Hawker Dragonflies @yorkswildlife.bsky.social
A venerable Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) flourishing at @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Askham Bog. Startling to imagine this might have been a prothallus when Henry VIII was a lad 😀
Blue-tailed damselflies (Ischnura elegans) are common in the UK & can be found from Ireland east as far as Japan. There were plenty @northcavewet.bsky.social today, including this smart male.
After many snaps of recently vacated sticks & leaves @northcavewet.bsky.social today, one male Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) finally held a pose 😀. Elsewhere: Emperors and Brown Hawkers
Best I could do to capture any of the, now very numerous, Common Darters (Sympetrum striolatum) @northcavewet.bsky.social - a mating pair, alighting briefly.
An Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) on west path @northcavewet.bsky.social today. Allowed me to get quite close, wondering if the dark marks on thorax mean past injury? @britishdragonflies.bsky.social Elsewhere: Common Darters ++
A lovely day to see ‘Ecclesiastical Pear’ (Pyrus communis ssp. sativa) in fruit beside Hexham Abbey, #136 in #treehunting. 36 of 1000
Ruddy Darters definitely predominating @northcavewet.bsky.social today. Elsewhere: Emperors, Brown Hawkers and Black-tailed Skimmers
A chance to check I can tell ‘Large’ from ‘Small’ when it comes to Red-eyed Damselflies (neither are ‘Big’ 😂) This male is definitely a Small Red-eyed (Erythromma viridulum) resting briefly @northcavewet.bsky.social today. Elsewhere: Bitterns plural
My first chance to get a picture of a Broad-bodied Chaser this year, a female at Allerthorpe Woods
A brief glimpse of a Hummingbird hawk-moth feeding on our lavender - slowed down enough to see!
A trip to explore Skipwith Common today. Too hot to stay long though 🥵Lots of dragonflies on the ponds: Emperors, Broad-bodied Chaser, 4-spotted Chasers and plenty of Ruddy Darters like this male.
A hot day for volunteers @northcavewet.bsky.social 🥵, but a pre-work wander revealed a very cool Marbled White 🦋
A very smart female Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) in the ☀️ @northcavewet.bsky.social today
West path @northcavewet.bsky.social is always my best hope for Willow Emerald damselflies (Chalcolestes viridis), missed my first of the year this morning - this one was having a snack, so hung around 😀
A Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) keeping an eye on Main Lake @northcavewet.bsky.social today
August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, 18th C naturalist & painter, is memorialised in the naming of Roesel’s Bush Cricket (Metrioptera roeselii) - this female was certainly posing beautifully for a portrait @northcavewet.bsky.social today 😀
Ruddy Darters (Sympetrum sanguineum), like this female, were about in force today @northcavewet.bsky.social, along with other 🐉. Elsewhere: Emperors, Brown Hawkers, 4-spotted Chasers & Black-tailed Skimmers
Plenty of butterflies @northcavewet.bsky.social today, along with Commas there were Marbled Whites (other whites were also available), Red Admirals, Meadow and Hedge Browns, Large Skipper, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Ladies 🦋🦋🦋
After many unsuccessful games of ‘Grandma’s footsteps’ @northcavewet.bsky.social today 😀, did eventually get close enough to photograph this female Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum). Elsewhere: Emperors, Black-tailed Skimmers and my first Brown Hawker of the year.
Puss Moth caterpillars combining excellent camouflage with defensive mimicry (what big eyes you have 👀) @northcavewet.bsky.social today. Elsewhere: oystercatchers and avocets
Work very much ‘in progress’ around the ‘Waterworks Catalpa’ in York, #240 in #treehunting. So, restricted views of this Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) but at least a chance to catch it coming into flower. 35 of 1000
As Blue-tailed Damselflies (Ischnura elegans) take several hours over mating there were plenty to see in the ‘wheel’ position @northcavewet.bsky.social today. Elsewhere: 5 juvenile Bearded Tits 😀
A Small Tortoiseshell caterpillar braving the maize field path @northcavewet.bsky.social today.🤞 it goes on to help boost numbers on the reserve (by one at least 😀)
The ☀️☀️☀️ brought the butterflies @northcavewet.bsky.social today. As well as this Common Blue there were, Marbled Whites, Ringlets ++, Brimstone, Red Admirals and Painted Ladies 🦋🦋🦋