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ChrisGibsonWildlife

@chrismothman.bsky.social
3.6K followers 2.5K following 929 posts

Naturalist, photographer, speaker, author, conservationist. GREEN party member. Wildlife Advocate at Beth Chatto Gardens. #BridgesNotBorders #IamEUropean www.chrisgibsonwildlife.co.uk New book for @princetonupress.bsky.social...see my website frontpage.

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Reposted by ChrisGibsonWildlife
Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 12h
In the least surprising news of the century, vast majority of racist flag shaggers who go about brandishing crosses and saying that we're a Christian country... don't pray, or go to church or read the Bible www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Christian nationalism in Britain driven by people who seldom go to church, says report
Research challenges the notion that the growing visibility of crosses and other symbols reflects a revival of Christianity
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Adrian Littlejohn @yorksfella59.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Still think that filthy scum #Trump isn't a Russian asset? President Zelensky is a better, greater man than that traitorous halfwit could ever even dream of being. Slava Ukraini! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Time for Ukraine to get new president,' says Trump after Zelensky condemns diesel deal
Ukraine's leader had said the deal with Russia to release diesel into the US would help Moscow fund the war.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
We have been among wonderful sights, sounds, food and drink for the past 9 days interrailing across Europe to Trieste and back, 3162km and 33hours on trains, without a hitch. There will be blogs! Eventually!! But here's out last overnighter, Dijon. So lovely I'd like to live there!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Heading across Europe by train, we just crossed the alps and have rocked up in Trieste. Eating and drinking and looking and enjoying our way across the continent! A blog will be on its way on our return
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Actually done vast harm and no good at all.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Light begets life, shade throttles it.
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Pete Holdaway @peteholdaway.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
And rough grassland, scrub, woodland edges and clearings can be more valuable, dependent on the species in the area. Not everything needs canopy.
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Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Why must it always be about planting trees, when they managed just fine for 100s of millions of years before people came along? Just let them seed out. Yes, planting does have a role, but so often the underlying subtext is continued human domination of nature. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Half a million trees to be planted in England in three years, says government
Exclusive: Environment secretary Angela Eagle to make pledge as part of efforts to protect against extreme weather
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Jo Parmenter @jo-the-botanist.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Couldn't agree more. I like trees, but wetland wins every time.
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Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My latest blog post: Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis. A big, chunky and distinctive mushroom, often found quite early in the fungus season. www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2026/09/30/w... #Fungi #FungiFriends
Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis, on a road verge in Norwich (August 2025).Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis, a picked specimen showing the stem ring and stout, rooting stem base. From a road verge in Norwich (August 2025).Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis, on a roadside in a Norfolk beechwood. September 2025.Measuring the height of a Warted Amanita, Amanita strobiliformis. Earlham Cemetery, Norwich, October 2023.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
And three, tree planting is good for biodiversity. Only sometimes. Light begets life, and trees that are planted, or allowed to grow, on existing high biodiversity sites just kill that essential, rich grassland, heathland or wetland flora and fauna. So be careful what you wish for.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Second, that tree planting soaks up carbon. Yes, only above ground, and only temporarily, until the tree dies. C storage in the ground, through the roots of grassland, or in wetland has much more potential to be long term.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The myth that tree planting is just great: first, the p word. In most parts of the country , trees will plant themselves if left alone. And trees planted by nature are much more likely to survive.
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Jack Wallington @jackwallington.com · 29/09/2026
Bl@@dy hymns! I’m so glad you keep speaking up about this, I agree entirely with your stance
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Reform want to indoctrinate our children. Freedom of (and from) belief is a human right. humanists.uk/2026/09/10/s...
humanists.uk
Reform UK Braverman promises 'consequences' if pupils don't sing hymns
Reform UK has said schools will face ‘consequences’ if they fail to make pupils regularly sing hymns and the national anthem under a Reform government. The party’s education spokesperson, Suella Brave...
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Rob Edmunds @vc28nature.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ivy is a really good source of diptera, including hoverflies, and bees at this time of year Besides Honey bees today there were lots of Ivy bees along with Calliphora vomitoria, Myathropa flora, Eristalis tenax etc
Ivy beeIvy beeCalliphora vomitoraEristalis tenax
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Peter Gibbs @petergibbs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ah, thanks Chris!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
They are the wonderful Striped Shieldbug, a very familiar species to wanderers through Mediterranean fields. And for the past five years or so, we have them in the UK in the Lea Valley. I wrote about our visit to Waltham Abbey to hunt them out last year. www.chrisgibsonwildlife.co.uk/exploring-th...
chrisgibsonwildlife.co.uk
Exploring the Lee Valley | Chris Gibson Wildlife
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Very pleased to have helped put my home town Wivenhoe on the discerning visitors' map. www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/desti... @@naturetrek.bsky.social It was my swansong, but they have persuaded me do do a couple of encores.
telegraph.co.uk
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Peter Gibbs @petergibbs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Not a wasp or a hornet, but a hornet-mimicking hoverfly! Volucella zonaria is the largest hoverfly species in the UK, first spotted in southern England in the 1930s and gradually expanding its range northwards.
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Nic Wilson @nicwilson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Indeed. Yay for shieldbugs!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Peter, not just Green, but the new kid on the block, Southern Green. The multicoloured nymphs are so characteristic, and gorgeous!
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Nic Wilson @nicwilson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Please can I share my enthusiasm for hairy shieldbugs with you in my @theguardian.com country diary this morning? They are so cool! 😍 #naturewriting #countrydiary @chrismothman.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Country diary: A young shieldbug has found a safe place to hide – or so it hopes | Nic Wilson
Bedmond, Hertfordshire: The entire Serge Hill project is a haven for humans and wildlife, and there’s much to find in its collection of drought-tolerant plants
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Catherine Munro @catherinemmunro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Today I found my first seabean. This seed has travelled a long way to reach #Shetland. Starting it's journey in a tropical forest, travelling with ocean currents and washing up with our first autumn storms. A little piece of luck and joy to hold onto as daylight fades and winter approaches.
Heart shaped seed with blue sea behind
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
New blog of our mission to explore our near world in mote detail than ever before using only our bus passes Coggeshall, only 20 minutes by car from home, but always bypassed, never the destination. Until earlier this week! www.chrisgibsonwildlife.co.uk/to-coggeshal... #NatureWriting
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just look at the sunset we just had from our lofty perch in Wivenhoe Shipyard!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I return to the images over and again: 3 years ago today, Brutalism, blue sky, water, rust and autumn. My favourite bridge ever, the zigzag bridge in Harlow.
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HoverflySpotterM.D @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Super - you are getting closer. Leicester is a super place. 1st Ivy bee in the garden a few days ago. Both Hornet plume horns been around in my part of S.Yorkshire for a few years now but large numbers of V.inanis this year in particular.
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Radio Lento @radiolento.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A hidden spot by water on a cold windless November day in Essex. Episode 43 - Tidal water mirror still (31 mins)
radiolento.podbean.com
43 Tidal water mirror still - a sound view from Canvey Island | Radio Lento podcast
A bird calls out. Its cry carries far out over the water on this, a rare day of no wind. Not even a breeze or a whisper of leaves in the trees. Cows low from farmland on the floodplain beside the Tham...
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Radio Lento @radiolento.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Here's a short playlist of seasonal listens - episodes recorded in the autumn. First, an early morning start in September in Cookham. Episode 97 - Through the trees, distant weir (41 minutes) #AutumnEquinox
radiolento.podbean.com
97 Through the trees, distant weir (source of natural white noise - 3D with ear/headphones) | Radio Lento podcast
Still air. Quiet parkland. It's 8am, before the people come. Empty paths. Untrodden grass. Mist lifting. On the face of it, nothing is happening. But nothing needs to happen. This is a bright autumnal...
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thanks. And so was the break. That's now two years and nine months of monthly short breaks by public transport since we turned 65, and we have no appetite for stopping. So many places to see, even ones we don't realise are going to be interesting. Next stop, next month, Trieste by train!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
@theguardian.com not an 'activist' but a 'criminal'. Please stop legitimising his evil in your headlines.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
And anyone can sign. Even from England. Stop this scientifically illiterate slaughter designed to play to nativist sentiments. We need reason, not trason against nature. And yes I consistently objected to the English slaughter too, even when working for Natural England
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Blog of our latest short break by rail and bus: An autumn break in Market Harborough, Leicester and Stamford. www.chrisgibsonwildlife.co.uk/an-autumn-br... #NatureWriting
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 19/09/2026
A new mega poll by YouGov reveals that an overwhelming majority of constituencies want to rejoin the EU. Only 4 constituencies were not sure. It’s time to put EU membership on the table. bestforbritain.org/uk-membership-mo…
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HoverflySpotterM.D @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
🦋🐞🐜Critters from the Essex coast 🐝🐛🦗 A Wall #Butterfly A #Firebug Cherry Slug #Sawfly. What critters have you seen recently? #Insects #NaturalHistory #InsectLife #BugSpotting #Bugsky #NaturalHistory #WildlifeWatching
A Firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) masses of them feeding on the seeds of Common MallowA Wall butterfly (Lasiommata megera) a coastal butterfly. Cherry Slug Sawfly larva a pest that infests various fruit trees, including Cherries and Pears
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Sheila Cunliffe @sheilacunliffe.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This would never happen to a fire or ambulance station so why is it being allowed here? Show you support the RNLI by donating here 👇 Even a small, one-off donation is important. rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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Richard Allen @richardallenart.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
My exhibition continues until 5 on Tuesday, open daily 10-5 #birdart #linocut #birdinguk
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thanks again Sim, and hope the build quality is holding it all together still. @princetonupress.bsky.social see this thread for a frequent user's view of press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
press.princeton.edu
British and Irish Wild Flowers and Plants
A highly illustrated and portable identification guide to the most common wild flowers and other plants
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Sim Elliott @sim-elliott.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It goes in my back pocket on every trip outdoors. Will be using it in 3 hours time in a Twiglets survey of Tide Mills. Aside from its excellent content the fact that you can fit it in a pocket is a huge plus.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thanks Sim, that's amazing feedback! I'm still very proud of what we achieved, how much we squeezed in to a portable package. There is a 3vol follow up covering the entire BSBI list in the same way on the horizon!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Far right scum crosses all red lines of being allowed to share a civilised world with the rest of us. Wake up Britain, tackle them like in Cable Street. Banish them back to crying into their cups of tea round their mum's.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A fundamental tenet of MAGA and all the other "populist" parties (Reform UK, RN, AfD, etc) is that global warming is a hoax and we must not believe the climate scientists. But the evidence is unequivocal.
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
What an obnoxious bunch of smug racists! Collectively brainwashed into symbolic hate.
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Julian Sidney @juliansidney.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
@chrismothman.bsky.social Just read on your September 12, 2026 blog that you had one in your garden.
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 15/09/2026
Tell me again that climate change is a hoax.
Chart showing global annual temperature abnormalities between 1880 and 2024
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Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"As this year’s super-El Niño looms large, the UK government advises us to stock up on food while it prepares to greenlight the extraction of more fossil fuels from the North Sea. Cognitive dissonance doesn’t even begin to describe the idiocy of such thinking. You couldn’t make it up."
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
👍
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
And a few of the mind-blowing beetly things we were shown by curator Katy!
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ChrisGibsonWildlife @chrismothman.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Plus a Notonecta backswimmer, a corixid water boatman and a pond-skater Gerris lacustris. A great event, and please consider joining us bna-naturalists.org
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