iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Henk-Jan van der Veen @henk-janvdveen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The oak tree in my backyard is covered in flowering Ivy, and it’s absolutely buzzing! Hundreds of hoverflies, wasps, and bees are flying in and out #WildflowerHour

0193

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

David Harris @cycle4nature.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Lot's of nice wildflowers around still in Cambridge. And the sun came out, so a chance to try out the new phone camera! Names in ALT text. #WildflowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Top left and clockwise:
White Dead-nettle, Viper's Bugloss, Dwarf Mallow;
Wild Mignonette, Ragwort, Dewberry;
Common Carrot, Pink (?) Campion, Creeping Cinquefoil;
Agrimony;
Lanceolate Aster (nat.), Dandelion, Bristly Oxtongue, Yarrow.

315210

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Some mellow fruitfulness for #WildflowerHour Sweet-briar, Black Bryony, Dogwood, White Bryony, Bittersweet and unripe Yellow-flowered Strawberry

0332

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Flowering at WWT Slimbridge today, Meadowsweet, Redshank, Beggarticks, Nodding Bur-marigold (well, gone over, but still…), Wild Carrot and Marsh Marigold for #WildflowerHour In October, for goodness sake!

2686

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It’s Sunday & it’s 8pm so it must be time for #wildflowerhour! Please share your pics of the wild & naturalised plants you’ve found blooming in the last week from across Britain & Ireland!

0346

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Two collages of this week's findings from N. Wiltshire for #wildflowerhour. IDs provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Top row: Lesser Hawkbit, Autumn Hawkbit and Dandelion.
Middle row: Field Scabious and Common Knapweed (rayed form with Lime-speck Pug caterpillar).
Bottom row: Field Bindweed, Creeping Thistle and Shepherd's Purse.

Left column: Night-flowering Catchfly, Rowan, Hop and Chicory
Right column: Water Chickweed, Yarrow, Hogweed and Round-leaved Fluellen (with aberrant doubled flower).

1262

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Quick snaps on shopping trips etc in Bradford-on-Avon this week #WildflowerHour

Procumbent Yellow-sorrel (purple variety), Cyclamen, Autumn Hawkbit, White Dead-nettle, Dandelion and Black Nightsgade

Chicory, Fool’s-parsley, a gutter Buddleja, Wild Carrot, Welted Thistle and a Mayweed.

1316

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Sarah @sarahfaulkner.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For #wildflowerhour today, I thought I'd compile a collage of the cheeriest yellow flowers I've seen this week - floral sunshine for a grey day. Here are Autumn Hawkbit, Agrimony, Gorse, Common Toadflax, Creeping Buttercup, Ragwort, Bristly Oxtongue, Tormentil, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Fleabane. 💛

A collage of yellow flowers seen in Dorset this week:
Autumn Hawkbit, Agrimony, Gorse, Common Toadflax, Creeping Buttercup, Ragwort, Bristly Oxtongue, Tormentil, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Fleabane.

0324

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

From Monday’s stroll on Oliver’s Castle near Devizes: Harebell, Red Bartsia, Perforate St John’s-wort, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Burnet-Saxifrage and Knapweed #WildflowerHour

1224

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Two collages of this week's findings from N. Wiltshire for #wildflowerhour. IDs provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Top row: Daisy, Yarrow and Herb Robert.
Middle row: Sowbread (Cyclamen hederifolium) and Common Mallow.
Bottom row: Wood Avens, Bristly Oxtongue and Smooth Sowthistle.

Top row: Black Nightshade, Creeping Buttercup and Agrimony.
Middle row: Dwarf Thistle and Devil's-bit Scabious.
Bottom row: Creeping Cinquefoil, Common Ragwort and Bird's-foot Trefoil.

1283

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Lesley Totten @lesleytotten.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A stunted Foxglove, a #ID ? near some Lady’s Bedstraw and a garden escapee Honeysuckle on the #BraidHills #Edinburgh @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour

1213

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Not much time for botanising this week so just a few from Kilkenny; from top left Black Medick, Common Mallow, Perennial Sowthistle, Field Poppy, Atlas Poppy and Borage #WildflowerHour

1383

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Finally spotted some Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) on my local patch in N. Wilts. Much later, smaller and scarcer than usual, presumably due to the drought. #WildflowerHour #orchid @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social @europeanorchids.bsky.social

3364

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) @bsbibotany.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It's been a joy to see so many people offering a huge THANK YOU to the fabulous @botanybeck.bsky.social for all her wonderful work devising the weekly #WildFlowerHour challenges, which help us focus on different aspects of our amazing British & Irish wild & naturalised plants. Thank you, Rebecca!

0336

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Henk-Jan van der Veen @henk-janvdveen.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Inspired by a field visit, I planted Common Fleabane for pollinators. Bullseye! 🎯 Wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies flocked to its flowers. A #favouriteplant for this week’s #WildflowerHour.

2587

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Who could not love Yellow Nonea Nonea lutea? A surprise find spreading in grass in South Wraxall - immediately a #FavouritePlant for the year #WildflowerHour

1384

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Moira O'Donnell @naturelark.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

A #FavouritePlant this year is one I saw only a couple of days ago, Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium. I've been wanting to see it for ages, and so I was excited to see it on the edge of Ardingly Reservoir. As far as I can gather, it was introduced in 1979 when the reservoir was created. #WildflowerHour.

Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium, at Ardingly Reservoir

Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium, with Trifid Bur-marigold, Bidens tripartita at Ardingly Reservoir.

2606

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Definitely a “Well hello! What are you doing here?!” moment in Melksham in February. A #FavouritePlant and county first (which is nice) Mediterranean Nettle Urtica membranacea for #WildflowerHour

2294

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Difficult to choose a single #favouriteplant for the #WildflowerHour challenge, so I've plumped for 2 lovely "wow!" factor orchids I saw for the 1st time this summer: Fly Orchid & Violet Helleborine. More details in ALT. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @ukorchids.bsky.social

The flowers of the Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera) are a marvel to see! Not only do they mimic the appearance of a female Digger wasp (Argogorytes fargeii), but they also emits a chemical scent that perfectly mimics the sex pheromones of female insects. Attracted by the scent, males frantically attempt to mate with the flower, whereby the sticky pollen packets (pollinia) glue themselves to the wasp's head or body and are then transferred to the next Fly Orchid flower.

The Violet Helleborine (Epipactis purpurata) is found in shaded woodlands, particularly under beech trees, and are so named for purple, violet, or dark lilac tint found on its grey-green stems, leaves, and outer parts of the flowers. The flower produces nectar that acts like alcohol on wasps, causing them to become tipsy and stagger around. In doing so,they become covered in pollen, which they are unable to clean off themselves. In their temporary inebriated state, they crawl from flower to flower and successfully pollinate the orchids.

3455

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Not a Dryad in sight, as usual, but their tack room in Hammerdown Wood, N. Wiltshire, displayed a healthy stock of Dryad’s Saddles (Ceriopous squamosus). #FungiFriday

3221

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

For the last weekly challenge, we want to know what was your favourite plant that you’ve spotted from across Britain and Ireland this year? Share your pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm using the hashtag #favouriteplant and we’ll celebrate it with you! 🥳🌿🌸

28135

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A delight to see the dainty but deadly flowers of Meadow Saffron (Colchicum autumnale) blooming in an unimproved meadow and on an old hedgebank in N. Wiltshire this week. #WildflowerHour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

0243

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Dave @sylvatica2024.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

This appears to be the glabrous (hairless) variant of Perennial Sowthistle; if so, it's the 2nd ever record for Cornwall and the 1st since 2003. I didn't notice it was lacking the glandular hairs at the time I took the pic. Bodmin Moor today for #wildflowerhour Sonchus arvensis subsp. uliginosus

0304

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Moira O'Donnell @naturelark.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Orange Balsam, Impatiens capensis, on the bank of the Wey Navigation at Guildford. #WildflowerHour

3536

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Pam McInnes @pammcinnes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

#Wildflowerhour Found whilst on my travels in Lancashire and South Cumbria this week. Names in ALT.

Autumn Lady's Tresses, Wild Thyme, Eyebright species, St John's-Wort species, Common Storksbill, Spring Sandwort, Small Scabious, Harebell, Wild Basil and Fairy Flax.

0426

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Pam McInnes @pammcinnes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

#Wildflowerhour #Fruits2 Found in Lancashire and Cumbria this week. Names in ALT.

Blackberries, Hawthorn berries, Rosehips Rowan Berries and Black Bryony.

1357

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

#Fruits from the Kennet & Avon Canal - in a lock as well as beside the towpath - and Southleigh Wood, near Warminster. #WildflowerHour

Himalayan Honeysuckle / Flowering Nutmeg Leycesteria formosa, then (below right) Sloes and escaped Firethorn, Hawthorn and Bramble, Rowan, Holly (almost ripe already!), and to the left, a blurry picture Honeysuckle and some Woody Nightshade

1304

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

0243

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Three collages of findings from N. Wiltshire for the #wildflowerhour #fruits (and nuts!) challenge. IDs provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Top row: Wild Pear, Yew & Swedish Whitebeam.
Middle row: Wild Service Tree (chequers) & Guelder Rose.
Bottom Row: Blackthorn (sloes), Bramble & Elder.

Top row: Common Whitebeam, Crab Apple & Wayfaring Tree.
Middle row: Hawthorn (haws) & White Bryony.
Bottom Row: Dog Rose (hips), Honeysuckle & Dewberry.

Top row: Dogwood, Privet & Wild Plum.
Middle row: Gladwyn Iris & Spindle.
Bottom Row: Hazel, Beech & Barberry.

1175

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Rebecca Wheeler @botanybeck.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A little early for #wildflowerhour, had such a lovely day yesterday visiting these little beauties! It was wonderful to see that the Autumn Lady’s Tresses had finally emerged after all the rain, always a bittersweet moment, the last orchid of the year to flower 🥰

310511

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Hips, haws, nuts and berries! It’s starting to look a bit autumnal out there! So this week’s challenge is #fruits! Share your finds of wild & naturalised fruits for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm. Happy fruit hunting! ☺️🍒

212040

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

A lovely specimen of Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) growing on an old Oak trunk in N. Wiltshire for #MushroomMonday.

3666

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Pam McInnes @pammcinnes.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

#Wildflowerhour Finally managed to find some Autumn Lady's Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) in North Lancashire this week.

3325

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

3 collages of just some of the #SeedHeads seen in N. Wilts. for this week's #WildflowerHour challenge. IDs provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Left column: Wood Avens, Hedge Woundwort & Rosebay Willowherb.
Centre column: Great Reedmace & Branched Bur-reed.
Right column: Creeping Thistle, Spear Thistle & Common Ragwort.

Top row: Nipplewort, Agrimony & Wild Angelica.
Centre row: Prickly Lettuce & Wild Teasel.
Bottom row: Wild Marjoram, Common Figwort & Wild Clematis.

Top row: Common Knapweed, Hemp Agrimony & Yarrow.
Centre row: Upright Hedge Parsley & Wild Carrot.
Bottom Row: Hemlock, Hogweed & Field Scabious.

0122

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Henk-Jan van der Veen @henk-janvdveen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Simply beautiful. Grass of Parnassus and Marsh Gentian: a beautiful meeting of fen meadow and wet calcareous grassland on a Rhine floodplain, reminiscent of a dune slack.

4426

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Sarah @sarahfaulkner.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Slightly obsessed with Marsh Gentian at the moment, and (in the words of Depeche Mode) I just can't get enough! So took the opportunity to indulge in a visit to another local heathland this weekend - just glorious. 💙 #wildflowerhour

Marsh Gentian, on Dorset Heathland.
Colour of flowers was blue, but the evening light and my phone camera showing them more purple.

523729

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

It looked as though it was going to be slim pickings for the #WildflowerHour #WallPlants challenge, with only Yellow Corydalis, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Trailing Bellflower, Wall Lettuce and Mexican Daisy on nearby walls in Bradford-on-Avon, but then…

0333

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

…my annual Beggarticks hunt began along the Kennet & Avon canal and, growing out of joints in the canal walls, I found Skullcap, Beggarticks (lots!), Gipsywort and, bizarrely, Small Teasel! #WildflowerHour #WallPlants

2473

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Some #WallPlants growing in and over walls and from their bases in N. Wilts. for this week's #WildflowerHour challenge. IDs provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Top row: Yellow Corydalis, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Thick-leaved Stonecrop (with dead flowers) & Catsear.
Middle row: Red Valerian & Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea.
Bottom row: Purple Toadflax, Wall Salad, Common Ragwort & Wild Clematis.

1232

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Walls may not seem the most hospitable of environments but the plants that can survive there can be surprising! See if you can find any flowering #WallPlants for this week’s challenge & share your pics for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm!

17423

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Fran Sinclair @notfrangible.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

My only find for #WildflowerHour #CommonNames theme was this Dittander Lepidium latifolium; my first encounter with the plant, so it was worth missing a bus! More info in ALT

There doesn’t seem to be a story to its name but Dittander was used as a condiment in the past and also as a medicinal herb against leprosy. I saw it as an urban weed in London.

2223

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Henk-Jan van der Veen @henk-janvdveen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Found lots of Devil’s-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis). Spotted one by chance growing on the wall in my garden, and thousands more in a nearby nature reserve. Surely one of the quirkiest #CommonNames! Apparently, the root looks as though the Devil has taken a bite out of it #WildflowerHour

2346

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The BlueSky site was down for me last night, so I couldn't post for #WildflowerHour. Here is the 2nd of 2 posts of plants with quirky #CommonNames in bloom in N. Wilts for this week's challenge. IDs and more info provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

The name Enchanter's Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) comes from 16th-century herbalists who linked the plant's shadowy woodland habits to Greek magic. Named after Circe, the powerful Greek mythological sorceress and daughter of Helios, early botanists believed this woodland plant was the magical herb Circe used to charm Odysseus' men or turn them into animals.

Common Restharrow: the English common name restharrow comes from old agricultural practices where the plant's tough, woody roots would 'arrest' or bring to a halt (rest) horse- or ox-drawn ploughs and other soil-breaking implements (e.g., harrows).

The name Hemp Agrimony combines 'hemp', referring to its deeply divided leaves that look like the unrelated Hemp plant (Cannabis sativa), and 'agrimony', a historical misnomer dating back to ancient Roman times when naturalists confused its medicinal grouping with true agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria).

The name Common fleabane reflects an old belief that the dried or burned plant repelled or killed fleas and other pests. The word fleabane derives from the Old English 'flēah' (meaning the small jumping insect) and Old English 'bana' (meaning a slayer, killer, or cause of death).

2253

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

1st of 2 posts of plants with quirky #CommonNames in bloom in N. Wilts for this week's #WildflowerHour challenge. IDs and more info provided in ALT Text. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Round-leaved Fluellen. The plant name 'fluellen' comes from the Welsh phrase 'llysiau Llewellyn', literally translating as 'Llewellyn's herbs'. Historically, this common name was applied to various trailing plants valued in old herbal medicine.

Squinancywort, whose name comes from 'squinancy' (an old word for quinsy, a severe throat infection or tonsillitis) and wort (an old English term for a plant or herb). It translates as 'the sore throat plant' because people historically used it as a herbal remedy and gargle to treat quinsy.

The name Ploughman's Spikenard consists of 'spikenard' - an ancient, costly perfume derived from a Himalayan plant (Nardostachys jatamansi) - and 'ploughman', reflecting folk use. Rural workers used its aromatic roots as an affordable local substitute or air freshener in their homes.

The name Elecampane (Inula helenium) comes from the medieval Latin 'enula campana' meaning 'enula of the field'. It is also known by various common and historical names, including horse-heal (historically used in treating skin conditions in horses), elfdock or elfwort (old folklore claimed the plant could ward off elf-shots and magic), scabwort (because it treated scabs and skin issues), and velvet dock (referring to the soft texture of its large leaves).

2273

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Squinancywort, whose comes from 'squinancy' (an old word for quinsy, a severe throat infection or tonsillitis) and wort (an old English term for a plant or herb). It translates as 'the sore throat plant' because people historically used it as a herbal remedy and gargle to treat quinsy.

080

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

For #Wildflowerhour this week find a wild or naturalised bloom with quirky #CommonNames! Pictured is Scutellaria galericulata, commonly named Skullcap, Hoodwort & Helmet Flower as the flowers were likened to the galerum worn by Roman soldiers ! Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm!

07020

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Rebecca Wheeler @botanybeck.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

A new challenge this week for #WildflowerHour, hope you enjoy it! Any wild or naturalised bloom that you find, squirrel out those evocative common names, the quirkier the better!

26217

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Jeremy Sanders @jeremyjem.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

An encounter with the showy Elecampane (Inula helenium) along a byway in N Wilts. Classed as an archaeophyte in UK, it was used as a medicinal herb, but now occurs infrequently on verges, often near human habitation. #DaisyFamily #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

2163

Reposted by Jeremy Sanders

Tim Osborne @timnmosborne.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

#Daisyfamily for @wildflowerhour.bsky.social From Seasalter Kent. Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola, Bristly Oxtongue Picris Echinoidea, and Salsify Tragopogon porrifolius. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

0102