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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Two weeks ago on Ben Lawers, there was no sign. But now, as if by magic, brilliant blue dots morph into Snow Gentians (Gentiana nivalis). Sublime!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Clubmosses have shrunken down a lot since their heyday in the Jurrasic period! Here's our Scottish selection that we found...

Stag's-horn Clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum) is a common species of acidic moorland, threading its way through other vegetation and sending up its distinctive, club-shaped, spore-bearing structures.

Fir Clubmoss (Huperzia selago) produces clusters of upright branches like little fox-tails. The spores are borne in yellowish, rounded structures, tucked along the stems at the bases of the leaves.

Interrupted Clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum) is more open and 'leafy' than Stag's-horn Clubmoss. It gets its name from the production of shorter leaves towards the end of each growing season which produces a segmented or interrupted look to the leafy stems (unfortunately not visible here!).

Alpine Clubmoss (Diphasiastrum alpinum) is a much less common species than the previous three and is best looked for on thin, open swards in higher locations, such as here on the north side of Cairngorm.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

For those of us from areas with chalky soils, the abundance of plants in the Ericaceae on the acidic hills of Scotland are always of interest. Here are the flowers of the three members of the genus Vaccinium. In Scotland, these are often known as blaeberries (= blueberries) or whortleberries.

Bog Bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) has bluish-green leaves and typically grows in wetter areas. The flowers are urn-shaped with the stigma hidden well inside the petal tube.

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is abundant on the hills and forms extensive swards with Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) and Heather (Calluna vulgaris). The flowers are tinged reddish and are broadest towards the base.

Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) has stiff, waxy leaves and typically is found more patchily, nestling in amongst larger drifts of Bilberry. The flowers are partially separated from each other rather than being fused to the tip and the stigma extends beyond the mouth of the petal tube.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

In between bouts of illness, I've been lucky enough to get up to Scotland this summer for some mountain botanising... starting here with a few views - see photos for descriptions.

Though glorious sunny spells are nice to capture, spells of misty rain give more atmosphere to the Highlands of Scotland. Looking down on Loch a' Choire below Ben Vrackie.

Creag Loisgte, at around 1050m asl on the southwest corner of Ben Lawers offers spectacular views down to Loch Tay and gives an indication of the walk required to get there! This spot is the 'mecca' for UK botanists and often referred to as the 'Hanging Gardens'.

The glorious view from high on Corrie Fee, looking back down the length of Glen Clova - another fabulous mecca for UK botanists.

Probably the ultimate high in Scotland due to the mind-blowing views (on a good day!!) and the great expanse of high altitude plateaux to explore is the Cairngorm massif. This is looking north from above The Vent at Cairn Lochan, at 1200m above sea level. It's a steep old walk from the car park, which sits at a mere 610m asl!!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Always a difficult decision leaving thistles in the lawn, but we have a good crop of Painted Lady caterpillars for the first time this year.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

The remarkable Eremurus robustus at Takhta Karacha pass, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

On a high! Up in Zaamin National Park, Uzbekistan and surrounded by a mass of the unfamiliar. Biodiversity at its best!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

A new site in Norfolk for the popular Luzula nivea, which seems to be jumping the garden fence these days! Found this one in the dark depths of Holt Country Park.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

This is getting worrying... another orchid! Cephalanthera epipactoides looking superb in Calabrian Pine forest, Lesbos, Greece

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Back in glorious Greece - Three-horned Stock (Matthiola tricuspidata) being overly flamboyant on Lesbos.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Forgot my camera so poor phone shot... Lesser Flamingo on Lesbos, potentially 2nd record for Greece!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

I'm not a huge fan of orchids, but you have to make an exception for these little beauties!

Reinhold's Bee Orchid (Ophrys reinholdii)

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The spectacular Cyclamen rhodium ssp. vividum is endemic to the southeastern Peloponnese and is always a highlight of my visits there.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Couldn't resist being a tourist today! The Bluebell spectacle at Great Wood, Blickling is pretty amazing this year.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

A highlight of the second of my two southern Greece trips recently was the discovery of this wonderful Isabelline Shrike, a rare vagrant to the region.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Always a treat. Campanula kamariana at its type locality, discovered and described in 2017, so probably seen by less than 100 people!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Pretty weird... Ophrys sphegodes ssp spruneri with the right number of upper petals and sepals and a single central column... but two labellums!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Seems like the new, urban population of Jersey Cudweed has finally reached North Norfolk - I found these this week in Sheringham and Holt. Might be interesting to speculate on the effects of possible gene flow with the native population that is not too far away now...

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

The wonderful Galanthus olga-reginae flowering in our garden today. Don't you just love snowdrop time!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Krüper's Nuthatch is almost endemic to Turkey, extending only into the neighbouring Caucasus of Georgia and Russia and (as here) onto the island of Lesvos, Greece. Great to watch a family group coming to drink with my group yesterday.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Plants with a view: Recurved Thorn-apple (Datura innoxia), Molyvos, Lesvos, Greece. Introduced as a garden ornamental from Central America.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Today's Highlight - the much desired and very intriguing False Hemp (Datisca cannabina). An entirely new plant family for me. See Alt text on pictures for more.

Datisca cannabina is in the family Datiscaceae; the family has only one genus and two species. Datisca cannabina occurs from the Turkey, eastwards through southern Central Asia to Nepal and just reaches into political Europe in the Eastern Aegean Islands. In Greece (and thus Europe) it is only known from Lesbos, Samos and a small area of wetern Crete. The only other species in the family (Datisca glomerata) occurs in extreme southwestern USA.

Datisca cannabina is highly unusual in being one of a very small number of plants that are androdioecious. This means that individual plants may bear either male flowers or perfect flowers (flowers with both male and female parts). This picture shows the old flowering spike of a male-flowered plant.

Flowers beginning to form fruits on a hermaphrodite plant with perfect flowers.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Today's Highlight - the large and spectacular Bivon's Meadow Saffron (Colchicum bivonae). Lesbos, Greece.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Spectacular views of the Black-winged Kite at Hickling today. What a beauty!!!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

First there was Canadian Fleabane (Erigeron canadensis), now we have some newcomers, rapidly spreading across our landscapes. These two are trail-blazing across Norfolk these days - see Alt text for more...

Pyramidal Fleabane (Conyza sumatrensis) is native to South and Central America and arrived as an urban weed in our cities. It is now pretty much everywhere, even an occasional adventive on sandy beaches. These plants at Happisburgh show the classic shape of mature plants, tapering outwards to about three quarters of the way up, then finishing with a pyramidal top, producing an overall kite-shaped appearance. Note, in the UK, the erroneous name 'Guernsey Fleabane' is used, simply because it was found there by someone - not much use as a name in its native, range, though!!

Bilbao Fleabane (Erigeron floribundus) is also native to South and Central America and is more recent in its appearance here in Norfolk. But it's wasting no time in stealing a march across the region. Compared with Pyramidal Fleabane, the outline of mature plants produces a more narrowly columnar plant but with a broadly rounded head of flowers (for those of us old enough to remember them, not unlike a mature English Elm). Alternative English names include 'Tall Fleabane' (it's no taller than any of the other species) and 'Many-flowered Fleabane' (again, no more so than other species), so, like the other recent colonist, it still could do with a decent English name that reflects its true qualities or associations.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Sea-heath (Frankenia laevis) is considered a scarce plant in Norfolk, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a good quantity of this smart little plant on my recent coastal plant survey. They seem to especially thrive in the cracks on concrete revetments, turning bright red in the hot, dry weather.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Sometimes it's nice to post a 'just because picture. Blue Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea)... just because they're amazing!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Do you remember when we were kids, and we just 'went to the beach' and had fun?!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

Still managing to fit beach plant recording days in between other work. Here's a few more from the past week (see alt text for more)...

Common Restharrow (Ononis repens) gets its vernacular name from its former habit of 'resting' harrows; their deep roots would snag the harrow and interfere with cultivations. These deep roots allow restharrows to find water and to remain relatively green during the drought periods we get so regularly now, and also come in useful in stabilising wind blown sand.

Prickly Saltwort (Salsola kali) is easily overlooked due to its uninspiring appearance and lack of showy flowers, but it's not easy to overlook if you're on the beach with no shoes on!

Yellow Horned Poppies (Glaucium flavum) rise defiantly against wind and tide where all other plants are beaten into submission. Rising seawater levels are resulting in a greater frequency of overwashing along North Norfolk's coastline, to the point that there are no longer any typical strandline plants left in many places now, just stubborn horned poppies and deep-rooted Curled Dock (Rumex crispus).

Defiant in a different way, Sea Pearlwort (Sagina maritima) is uncommon in Norfolk, but hangs on in a few places due to its diminutive size. I found several plants growing in the narrow expansion gaps between concrete sections of Sheringham's promenade.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Feeding the ducks creates a sideline in interesting plant records - Niger (Guizotia abyssinica) growing beside Salthouse duckpond.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Early morning at Salthouse Beach yesterday.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

A popular twist... Our native Black Poplar (Populus nigra subsp. betulifolia) has a distinctive associate - Pemphigus spyrothecae, an aphid species that produces a distinctive gall in the leaf stalks which, over time, twist into a spiral and turns bright red.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Orange Balsam (Impatiens capensis) is native to North America, where it is generally known as Jewelweed and is famous for its sap, that has the ability to counteract the effects of Poison-ivy. Not so useful here in Norfolk, but not so invasive as its Himalayan cousin, either!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Undesirables! It was disappointing to come across several of the highly invasive, alien, Red Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) in the River Bure below Aylesham yesterday. Seems the local Otters are at least keeping them in check, though...

A Signal Crayfish checking me out as it feeds on detritus on the surface of bur-reed leaves.

The inner face of a Red Signal Crayfish claw, seen here as the remains of an Otter meal. The red colouration is only on the inner surface, and is waved as a 'signal' to other crayfish, hence the vernacular name.

The outer face of the claw shows no red, but has a distinctive, pale spot.

Otter spraint, complete with carapace fragments and small claws of Signal Crayfish.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

The amazing diversity of plants - that the seed-bearing cone of one species can dwarf the entire plant of another species is truly wonderful. Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra laricio) cone and Creeping Ladies-tresses (Goodyera repens), North Norfolk.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Mainland UK's only native population of Jersey Cudweed hangs on by a thread at its sole North Norfolk location, but there's a nice crop of young seedlings coming on for next year.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Common Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), sadly much declined in our area, so always a delight to find a sizeable colony of plants on the Norfolk coast.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Surveying beach plants is not too taxing at times!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

"Beach baby beach baby here on the sand from July to the end of September". First Class were singing about Norfolk botany in 1974! A few from my botany walk today...

Lyme-grass (Elymus arenaria) - such an amazing blue colour.

Prickly Saltwort (Salsola kali) a local speciality but not always easy to find.

Frosted Orache (Atriplex laciniata) brightening up the woodwork on the beach.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

We chanced across two female Silver-washed Fritillaries at Sheringham Park today. The righthand individual appeared first and is of the less common colour form 'valezina', which is only found in females. Both enjoying dappled sun patches in the woodland.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

A perfect end to the day; a couple of hours using the BSBI recording App for the first time (great by the way!), pub dinner and a pint, then this lovely Roe Deer waiting just outside the garden as we returned. But stay outside the garden chappie, we're done with the ticks already!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

A walk to the post office takes me past this remarkable bigeneric hybrid, X Chitalpa tashkentensis. This hybrid between Chilopsis and Catalpa species from North America was first produced in the botanic gardens in Uzbekistan in 1964 and was a real horticultural achievement in its day.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Butterflies continue to steal the show in our garden at the moment, with a second White-letter Hairstreak showing up today. This one rather smarter than yesterday's and with a full set of tails!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Megan is certainly on a roll! After finding the Queen of Spain Fritillary several days ago (and still present today, incidentally), she turned up this first White-letter Hairstreak for our garden! A bit dishevelled, but still a great find!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Despite the dreadful weather overnight, our Queen of Spain Fritillary continued through its third day with us, showing up, as before, in the late afternoon in its favourite field corner. It was also nectaring at Perennial Sow-thistle flowers.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

La Reina! We had a regal visitor today, when Megan found a spectacular Queen of Spain Fritillary just outside our garden! Not sure when the last Norfolk record was but it's a wonderfully rare visitor for our little patch.

This encounter was too close to me for the lens to focus, but it was nice to compare the Queen with one of our local Comma butterflies.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

A wonderful treat today, a sumptuous patch of the Broadland speciality, Cowbane (Cicuta virosa) along the River Yare.

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Is it me, or is this not normal?! Springy Turf-moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus) is abundant in damp or shady lawns, but I've never seen it growing as a 'thatch' on top of a hedge of Ivy before!! It must be very damp in East Ruston!

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A Naturalist Abroad @anaturalistabroad.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Something funky going on here! Small Scabious with a series of unified stems that collectively produced a solitary flowerhead, that then split out into several solitary stems again, each with its own terminal flowerhead... must be the beer in Norfolk!

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Reposted by A Naturalist Abroad

Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

2000 years ago: the Romans would let an aqueduct destroy the Gardon Valley. We need clean water, but at what cost?

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