Pen Insole

@birdsblooms

Nature lover who dabbles in blogging about my discoveries. Always looking to learn more about the natural world and share my wonder at it. My blog is at: birdsbloomsandbumbles.com

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Pen Insole@birdsblooms· 11d

The dry conditions meant there wasn't a huge amount in flower #bythesea at Dawlish Warren today, but there was lots of common restharrow and lovely to find the tiny flowers of what I think is lesser centaury #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Small pink and white flower of common restharrow

Tiny pink five-petalled flowers with thin green stems

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· 18d

I saw lots of great sundews looking glorious in Sutherland this week. Sadly, it was too overcast for the notoriously shy flowers to think about opening, but lovely to see these carnivorous marvels, nonetheless #wetlandplants #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Bright red and pale green leaves of great sundew with insect-catching droplets on thin hair like structures

Bright red and pale green leaves of great sundew plant growing above moss

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· 21d

Floofs! Just two of four ringed plover chicks on a local beach last weekend. #birds #babybirds #waders

A small, white, brown and black ringed plover chick standing on a sandy beach

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· 25d

Specially adapted to the dry conditions of dunes and other coastal habitats, it's not surprising that this sea-holly is #StillFlowering and will do into September I saw these in Tiree this week #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Pale purple sea-holly flower surrounded by its silvery green, spiky leaves

Pale purple sea-holly flowers surrounded by their silvery green, spiky leaves

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jul 14

Sound up for some footage of its scratchy song. #birds

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jul 14

It's not often you get prolonged views of the usually prone to skulking sedge warbler but this individual was uncharacteristically showy as we watched him sing from a fence wire last week. #birds #warblers

A brown and cream sedge warblers perched on a barbed wire fence line in front of a hogweed flower

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jul 12

Not an aquatic plant, but I saw it by the sea so water adjacent! I have a spot not too far from home that is good for carline thistle and so I went to pay homage to them today. A beautifully weird and wonderful species #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

A green, gold and bronze spiky unopened bud of a carline thistle

The golden, opening bud of a carline thistle surrounded by three unopened prickly gold, bronze and green buds of the same plant

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jul 12

Baby swallows...that is all #birds #babybirds

A young barn swallow with dark blue head and back, red face, white breast and a yellow gape on its beak perched on a fence wire

Four young barn swallows with dark blue heads and backs, red faces, white breasts and a yellow gape on their beaks perched on a fence wire with white hogweed flowers nearby

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jul 9

Moonwort is one of our stranger ferns, but always exciting to find. I found quite a large patch of plants in the dune grassland near Golspie a week or so ago. It only emerges above ground when conditions are just right, so even more of a treat to see #ferns #grasslandplants

A green plant with half moon shaped fronds and brown grape-like fruiting bodies at the top of the stem, growing in grassland

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jul 5

Manx shearwaters are one of my favourite seabirds. I mean, c'mon; those cute little faces! We got these great views from the ferry to Islay recently #superseabirdsunday #seabirds #shearwaters

A dark brown and white Manx shearwater flying low over the blue sea

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jun 29

I've hardly managed any moth trapping this year for far too many reasons to bore everyone with. But last week on Skye for work, I got a chance so went for it. I'm so glad I did! These are just some of the highlights: poplar hawkmoth, pebble prominent and buff tip #teammoth #mothsmatter

A brown and grey poplar hawkmoth with leaf-like wavy wings perched in an egg box

A brown and white pebble prominent moth perched on an egg box

A silver and brown coloured buff tip moth looking like a silver birch twig perched on a white plastic pot lid

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jun 28

I have a huge soft spot for great skuas, or bonxies despite their bully boy reputations. They may look superficially plain brown, but individuals sport varying amounts of fetching blonde highlights, too. This pair, one of which was colour-ringed, was on North Ronaldsay recently #superseabirdsunday

A great skua, a large brown seabird with white wing flashes, in flight

A great skua, a large brown seabird, standing on grass

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jun 25

Also out in the Scottish Highlands now, the curious looking one-flowered wintergreen

White star-shaped flower growing close to a mossy, woodland floor

White flower with a large, green ovary and style and bent stem

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Jun 25

It's taken me a few years to get to the right pinewoods at the right time to see twinflower in bloom, but I finally managed it last weekend. No prizes for guessing how it got its name... #wildflowers #scottishwildflowers

Pair of small, pink, bell-like twinflower blooms on slender stems

Small, pink, bell-like blooms of twinflower growing out of moss on a woodland floor

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 31

My local northern marsh orchids are starting to make their presence felt wonderfully... #orchidchallenge #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Bright pink-purple northern marsh orchid flower spike with grass background

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 30

I am lucky enough to have a site close to home that is great for small blue butterflies. I popped along a week ago and was treated to some lovely views of this beautifully dinky little gem of a species #butterflies #insectsmatter

Small blue butterfly with open wings perched on a twig

Small blue butterfly with closed wings, one of them sl8ghtly damaged, perched on a leaf

Small blue butterfly with half open wings perched on a leaf

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 24

'Though she be but little, she is fierce...' Scottish primrose may be tiny, but with its ridiculously bright pink-purple flowers, this UK endemic sure packs a punch. We saw lots today in Orkney putting on a proper #WildFlowerShow #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Four small, bright pink Scottish primrose flower heads on a single stalk amongst grass

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 20

Raven babies! High up on a local cliff, gloriously grumpy looking as they wait for mum and dad to return with lunch, this pair were one of many highlights of a day on the Easter Ross coast last weekend #corvids #corvidappreciation #ravens #birds

Two young ravens chicks on a cliff ledge, one with wings outstretched and beak open

Two young ravens chicks perched on a cliff ledge

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 17

Two plants named for birds, with one even named for *two* birds! Dove's-foot cranes-bill and common stork's-bill #tinyplants #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Two small purplish pink flowers of dove's-foot crane's-bill surrounded by green leaves and dried grass

Two pink, five-petalled flowers of common crane's-bill surrounded by green leaves

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 17

The tiny flowers of sea sandwort are just starting to appear near me. I love the geometric shapes of the leaves #tinyplants #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Tiny white flowers amid the pointy green leaves of sea sandwort

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 9

Remember, kids, to keep under shade when this summer's sunshine arrives, especially those with titian colouring... #squirrels

A red squirrel eating from a peanut feeder tray that has a small red parasol over it

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 3

Although cliffs are safer nesting sites, if none are available, fulmars will readily nest pretty much at ground level in some habitats. These birds were setting up shop last weekend below the wall that keeps North Ronaldsay's famous sheep on the beach #superseabirdsunday

A pair of grey and white fulmars on the sand below a drystone wall

A pair of grey and white fulmars on the sandy grass below a drystone wall

A pair of grey and white fulmars on the sand below a drystone wall. One is sitting, one standing.

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· May 1

With the summer survey season now in full swing, there will be no Bird of the Month posts over on my birdsbloomsandbumbles blog until the autumn. I had lovely views, though, of my May 2023 featured bird, the whimbrel, yesterday as a Bird of the Month throwback. #waders #birds

Brown, black and white whimbrel, a wading bird with a long beak, standing on a rock near the sea

Brown, black and white whimbrel, a wading bird with a long beak, standing on a rock near the sea with its bill tucked under its wing

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Apr 16

Looking like a long, lost member of Sigue Sigue Sputnik (one for the kids, there, ahem), this dark tussock moth caterpillar was strutting its stuff fabulously the other day #insectsmatter #teammoth

A dark tussock moth caterpillar with punk-like black, white and yellow tufts in between some gorse prickles

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Apr 12

The opposite-leaved golden saxifrage is out in all its glory in the Highlands, brightening up our damper woods #woodlandplants #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Green and yellow flowers of opposite-leaved golden saxifrage amongst grass stems

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Apr 6

Bee-fly in action, feeding on lesser celandine nectar #beeflies #insectsmatter

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Apr 6

I love bee-flies. That is all #beeflies #insectsmatter

Brown fluffy dark-edged bee-fly sat on bare ground with its long proboscis in the air viewed from the side

Brown fluffy dark-edged bee-fly sat on bare ground with its long proboscis in the air as viewed from behind

Brown fluffy dark-edged bee-fly sat on a green leaf

Brown fluffy dark-edged bee-fly feeding on a yellow flower

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Apr 3

Red squirrel footprints in the mud in Cumbria from last week; almost as good as seeing the animal itself! #squirrels #mammals

A pair of small, pointy toed squirrel footprints in wet mud

A small, pointy toed red squirrel footprint in wet mud

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Mar 29

When in Bristol at this time of year, I usually try to check out the local wild green hellebores across the Suspension Bridge. They did not disappoint this time #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Two green buttercup-like flowers and spiky green leaves of a green hellebore plant against a blue sky

Green buttercup-like flower and spiky leaves of a green hellebore plant

Long, thin green leaves of multiple green hellebore plants growing together

Pen Insole@birdsblooms· Mar 29

They may not be the most spectacular #treeflowers but ash flowers have a charm of their own #wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social