The "pond" so far...

1/2 Drier summers aren't the only cause of the wildfires raging through European forests. Warmer, wetter springs that seem helpful to trees are actually weakening them. Fast early growth increases water requirements, making trees more prone to drought stress later. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Someone posted this locally. Bluesky boffins: I'm depending on you to explain what causes this!

Re: quinine. Other sources says it is effective against malaria. www.medicinenet.com/quinine/arti...

What question? You asked me to list every property of every plant? You haven't provided any evidence to back up your strange belief that plants lack medicinal properties. Here's cinchona, an alkaloid derived from a Peruvian tree used to treat malaria. How can you not know this? Too much beer?😄

Flooding test areas of Artic ice with seawater increased both thickness (+32cm) and reflectivity, thus slowing the melt rate. The snag is scaling up; 20 million pumps would be required to recover the 20% of Arctic ice that's disappeared since 1979. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

The little forest near my house has a single water source that a lot of wildlife depend on. But the tiny stream has dried down to a few muddy mouthfuls. Would it harm the health of the stream if I hauled a few 5 litre bottles of tap water from home and added that to the drinkable pools?

Plants suffer permanent setbacks when dessicated soil & air conditions coincide, a new study has found. They're also less likely to recover when the rain returns. Restricted plant growth in turn shrinks CO² uptake & accelerates global warming beyond current estimates. www.nature.com/articles/s43...

Sulphur knapweed moth by @danjbrown97.bsky.social

There's a roadside verge in my neighbourhood that appears to be entirely composed of oaklings. I am fascinated. How can they grow so densely? Or am I mistaking a different plant for oak saplings? (Apologies for the cartoonish close-up. Cheap phone...)

Two days after it was too hot to wear...well, anything!...daytime temperature has plunged from a stifling 37C (~100F) to an overcast and windy 23C (low 70s F). I almost made it to the beach on my scooter, then thought, "I really could use a jumper" and turned back! 😆 I have meteorological whiplash.

Spot the cat 😿 Early morning, a security camera detects movement...🔎🤔 (Renegade kitty got left outside while the rest of the household high-tailed it to a hotel the night before to avoid noisy building work. Luckily, she found a good hiding place...)

Interesting, I've just learned there are "owlet" moths. Well named! And I'm all for the sinister moniker, Dark Arches. It packs a lot of goth street cred...😎🦇

Ah, so this tiny orange wildflower is "fox and cubs"? Cute... I never noticed it before. 🤔 Clearly I need to get my face closer to the ground during my wildlife forays.😂

Blur of a butterfly as it flees from me. A braver bumblebee remains on the right. Oh dear... I have become what I warned others against: A human who scares away our remaining wildlife in our attempts to capture it in digital form. In future, will all the things we destroyed live only in 2-D? 😟

It looks scary, right? But honeybees naturally swarm when searching for a new home. Full of honey with no nest to defend, they're usually placid if left alone. Don’t throw water at them or try to knock them down. Scout bees will find a suitable home in a day or two; they'll fly off on their own.

I keep tabs on my garden critters using security and wildlife cameras. However, this tech startles and annoys nocturnal animals when it flashes on for several seconds at any sign of movement. Our human eyes can't see how bright it is, but this photo of my "hidden" camera tonight gives you an idea.

Fwiw, this is the response I got:

Lubee Bat Conservancy in Florida just delivered a flying fox pup through C-section. @lubeebatcon.bsky.social Watch the lucky pup take its first breaths and the mother preening her little one: www.facebook.com/reel/1553617... www.facebook.com/reel/1706400...

I finally got around to cutting the grass with the strimmer. The bad news is I accidentally stripped off the bark from this hazel sapling. The damage goes all the way around, which is pretty much a death sentence. Or is there something I can do to fix it?😰

Here's what you see after you upload a photo. If you click on the top left, it opens a box that allows for extensive description.

£1.48 for a 2 litre paint bucket + £1.50 x 2 for farm-style levered dispenser scoops (+ some plumbing tape to stop a bit of leaking 😆) + a white plastic tile to keep the sun and dirt out until I find a proper lid. It's not glamorous, but it fits in the feeder and it keeps the birds refreshed.

It's hot out. The wildlife need a steady supply of fresh water. Water bowls help, but they're a hassle to keep clean and filled. So I've set up a chicken farm-style automatic refill water station. Insert levered scoops into a covered bucket and it's drinks on the house! www.temu.com/goods.html?_...

Geeky verbena hangin' with the cool poppy kids, trying to blend in...😆

I remain a fan of Ecosia's commitment to the environment. But what's going on here? A few days ago they seem to have revamped their look. And in the process, they removed the search box...?

Apparently that was just a rumour, though I thought I remembered reading in the 1990s about the decision to cut service the line. Here's a clarification from answerbag.com.

You know you have problem neighbours when you find yourself searching your community yellow pages for an exorcist.

Fifteen years ago, a winter storm felled the grey willow. It languished broken on the river bank. But slowly, every spring, this tipped-over trunk pushed out fresh branches towards a sky that had struck it down. In its defiance, it recaptured the beauty it once had. More, actually. Character!

I rested beneath the curved canopy of the oak tree. A fragrant breeze fingered my forehead. Burry blackbird notes tickled my ears. Leafy marionettes twirled to the tune. 🌳🎶🌳🎶🌳🎶🌳🎶🌳 We hug trees... At times like this, the tree hugs back.