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Sheila Whitehead

@sheilawhitehead.bsky.social
247 followers 206 following 60 posts

Welsh, living in Scotland. Horticulture/PIantsmanship trained at RBGE/SRUC. Volunteer puppy raiser & boarder for Guide Dogs Scotland. Avid reader. Love dogs, nature, gardening, music and video games

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Reposted by Sheila Whitehead
Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
My calendars are in stock and ready to order! charlottestrawbridge.co.uk/product-page/2… First 100 copies have now gone out to preorders and a few shops… next 100 copies have just arrived and are waiting for homes. Yey. Really love them this year.
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Brigit Strawbridge @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Bumblebees, solitary bees, wildflowers, & the hidden magic of pollination 🐝 A rare chance to join me in #Stirlingshire for a bee talk & guided walk as part of a beautiful Summer Solstice Arts weekend Do come if you can! Or share with friends in the area... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-other-...
eventbrite.co.uk
The 'Other' Bees
A talk and walk as part of the Long Light, Deep Roots Soltice. An introduction to the fascinating worlds of bumble bees and solitary bees.
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Trees for Life @treesforlife.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
For the first time in over 400 years, there is a beaver dam in #GlenAffric! 🦫 The ultimate example of their ecosystem engineering, #beaver dams create deeper pools, slow the flow of water, improve water quality, and provide rich habitats for #wildlife such as fish, frogs, otters and birds.
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Edinburgh Journal of Botany @ejbotany.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
A beautiful but endangered species of #Gentiana #Gentianaceae from #Sikkim described as new to science by Indian researchers #CalcuttaUniversity, #GuruNanakDevUniversity, #MansarovarGlobalUniversity #Forest&EnvironmentDeptartmentSikkim in #OpenAccess #EJB @thebotanics.bsky.social: bit.ly/49adcvL
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Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
We have an announcement. OUR CHERRY TREE IS BUDDING! 🌸 Thank you to the Orkney Japan Association - our tree is one of 30 cherry trees planted across #Orkney as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree Project. 🌸❤️🌸
A close up photo of buds in the cherry tree outside Orkney Library & Archive
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
As part of my ‘When Beasts Spoke’ exhibition we’ve created a children’s woodland den area! You can sit, read my illustrated art book and write a story about Squirrel. I’ll be choosing a winning story at the end of the exhibition and the winner will take home the original squirrel canvas!🪾🐿️🪾
In Made in Stirling Store, Stirling, on till 10th May. When Beasts Spoke
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Sheila Whitehead @sheilawhitehead.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Lovely, as always, to visit @thebotanics.bsky.social today. I have always admired the East Gates depicting Rhododendron calophytum. The gates are fitting recognition that the garden holds the world's largest collection of wild origin Rhododendron, some 650 species.
East Gates at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh depicting Rhododendron calophytum in electroplated stainless steel.Close up of detail of East Gates at RBGE of Rhododendron calophytum.Poster displayed alongside East Gates at RBGE giving details of installation in 1996.
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Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Doggo still thinks they're a puppy: #AGoodPlace Source: www.reddit.com/r/funnypets/...
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Done! 30 wild flowers. Really enjoyed this project, was a bit like keeping a sketch book, but the pages were canvases. Made me try out things I may not have normally tried. Would recommend a little self-set goal like this to any artist! Honestly, been a joy. Plus I learnt some new flower names. 🌸🍃🌼🍃
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James Harding-Morris @jameshardingmorris.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Lundy has been dramatically described as 'Britain's Galapagos' but it's not an unreasonable comparison. It hosts the only British example of 'co-endemism' - an endemic species that is host to another endemic species (and perhaps even *two* endemic species...) Interested? Book a ticket!
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Tristan Norton @trisnorton.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Very interesting! Thank you @beccyscottuk.bsky.social theconversation.com/the-black-de...
theconversation.com
The Black Death’s counterintuitive effect: as human numbers fell, so did plant diversity
New study finds that plant biodiversity collapsed in landscapes where arable production was abandoned during and after the Black Death era.
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Trees for Life @treesforlife.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
The #CaledonianForest is more than trees 🌲 It’s a wildlife-rich web of life - home to iconic animals like red squirrel, crested tit, wood ant and Scottish wildcat. 🐿🐜 Some are found nowhere else in #Britain, and all depend on rich, healthy habitats for shelter and survival.🌳 #WorldWildlifeDay
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comfysofa23.bsky.social @comfysofa23.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
@bsbibotany.bsky.social There is a beautiful display of snowdrops near me. But I took this on selfie mode just to get a glimpse of blue sky too.
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Chris Thorogood @christhorogood.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Maths and biology conspired to make something beautiful: the world’s largest floating leaf (genus Victoria), spanning up to 3 m across. We decoded this enigma with mathematical modelling to show the lattice is an economy of material– the most structurally efficient way to cover a large surface area.
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James Harding-Morris @jameshardingmorris.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
We're trialling something new this year at the BSBI - an activity designed to support absolute beginner botanists with identifying *and* recording their first ever 100 plants in 2026 🌿 If you know anyone that might like to take part then please spread the word: bsbi.org/take-part/ac...
bsbi.org
The 100 Plants in 2026 Challenge
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Sheila Whitehead @sheilawhitehead.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
BBC News - Special bricks to help birds put in every new home in Scotland www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar...
bbc.co.uk
Swift bricks to be put in every new home in Scotland
The Scottish government has made it part of the law, that all new homes should have a special brick added to make a home for swifts
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Kathryn Rose @artsyhonker.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
If you are in the UK and were born between 1970 and 1990 you may not have had enough doses of MMR vaccine to be protected from measles. Contact your GP to get a booster course for free. www.nhs.uk/vaccinations...
nhs.uk
MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine
Find out about the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, including who should have it, when it's given and possible side effects.
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Chris Townsend @christownsend.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
BBC News - Courting capercaillies up 50% on Cairngorms reserve www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Courting capercaillies up 50% on Cairngorms reserve
Conservationists counted 30 lekking males on the RSPB's Abernethy nature reserve last year.
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Part2 #ExhibitionSneakPeek #ScottishWildcat #wildcat
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
My debut solo exhibition is this spring. I’m delighted to announce the details, and so excited to share what I’ve been working on 🤍
When beasts spoke - solo exhibition - 28th March to 10th May - Made in StirlingWhen beasts spoke - solo exhibition - 28th March to 10th May - Made in Stirling - workshops - oil painting with palette knife
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Botany One @botany.one · 10/08/2025
The journal editor... concluded the topic was not relevant to the scientific community. I was devastated. But my advisor encouraged me, saying the editor lacked vision: “Does everyone in plant biology really have to work on Arabidopsis?” he asked.
botany.one
Juliane K. Ishida: From Grandmother’s Garden to the Frontiers of Parasitic Plants
Botany One interviews Dr. Juliane Ishida who has gone miles —literally— to undercover the mysteries of parasitic plants.
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Camellia Tea Ceremony @camelliakyoto.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
May is the month of colours popping🌈🪻🎨🙌🎉 A sea of nemophila (ネモフィラ), known as 'baby blue eyes', welcomes visitors to the top of Mt Hiei. Up here the flowers of early spring are still going strong. #Hieizan #Kyoto #MtHiei #比叡山 #京都 #Japan #spring #babyblueeyes
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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh @thebotanics.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
🚨 New Edinburgh exhibition! Ever wondered what's in our world-renowned herbarium? Now's your chance to find out. Explore the stories behind diverse specimens and the vital role the collection plays in tackling biodiversity challenges. 📍 22 March - 29 June 2025 at the John Hope Gateway. Free entry.
Dr Siôn Parkinson, artist and AHRC research fellow, standing in front of shelves of preserved specimens in RBGE’s Herbarium and holding a specimen.
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Woodland Trust Scotland @wtscotsocial.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Our #LochArkaig estate manager Henry Dobson shows the chilly location of a rare and threatened plant species we are conserving in collaboration with @thebotanics.bsky.social In Finland, this plant is known as "bear hay" because brown bears love to munch on it.🐻
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Brigit Strawbridge @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
So our Chancellor believes industry should “focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about the #bats and the #newts”. Please read @batconservation.bsky.social's response... and click on their link to find out what they're doing about these so called 'reforms' and how we can help 🦇 👇
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
🤩 It’s official! We’re ready for Scotland’s Trade Fair 🤩 First day tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting lots of lovely people… (Feeling equally excited, nervous, and exhausted already 😆🙌🤞😬💛) Couldn’t have done any of today without you @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social , thank you xxxxxxx
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
'Alright pal, got plans for the #BigGardenBirdwatch?' 'Nah, just the usual... hang out of sight whilst she's doing the count, then touch down once the hour's over. You?' 'Classic. Planning some fly-bys with a few of the boys, but we'll only land one at a time.' 'Niiice.'
A plump Wood Pigeon stands confidently on a bird table, chest puffed out, looking slightly smug. Beside it, a glossy Starling with shimmering green and purple feathers sits lower down, tilting its head up as if deep in conversation. The two birds appear to be mid-chat, giving off the vibe of scheming pals casually plotting how to dodge being counted in the Big Garden Birdwatch.
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Sheila Whitehead @sheilawhitehead.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Looking forward to the start of 'Monty Don's British Gardens' 8pm BBC2, today, especially to see Little Sparta, created by Ian Hamilton Finlay & his wife Sue. I wasn't sure what to expect when I visited, but loved this unique moorland garden, its diverse themes of artwork, landscape & planting.
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Sheila Whitehead @sheilawhitehead.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Puppy raised lovely Cookie for Guide Dogs and we're so proud of her becoming a working guide dog earlier this year. Her guide dog owner sent me these lovely photos as it will be her first Christmas with them. So thoughtful to do that. It really made my day!
Golden Labrador Retriever Guide Dog with green bow around neck sitting in front of a decorated Christmas tree.Golden Labrador Retriever Guide Dog lying on carpet with red and white toy in her mouth.
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British Gardening History @britgardhistory.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Reprising my favourite horticulturally themed Christmas photo! Mistletoe salesmen, 1926.
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Thomas Whitehead @thomasbw84.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Went to the festive lights yesterday at the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, it was beautiful and it remains one of my favourite places.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 02/12/2024
Nature boys and girls – here’s your chance to get published in the Guardian
theguardian.com
Nature boys and girls – here’s your chance to get published in the Guardian
Our wildlife series Young Country Diary is looking for articles written by children, about their winter encounters with nature Once again, the Young Country Diary series is open for submissions! Every three months, as the UK enters a new season, we ask…
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 29/11/2024
Over a year since its illegal felling, we're making sure the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree lives on 🌳 When the Sycamore Gap tree was felled last September, we recovered 49 saplings from its roots as part of our 'Trees of Hope' initiative - one to represent each foot in height of the tree.
Sycamore Gap seedlings at the National Trust Plant Conservation Centre. 

Photo credits - James Dobson
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VenetiaJane’s Garden @venetiajane.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
The Poinsettia is another birth flower of December. The Aztecs thought these plants to be gifts from the gods, symbols of new life. They believed the hummingbirds and butterflies that visited Poinsettias were their fallen warriors, resurrected by the gods. #Christmas #folklore #flowers
Close-up photo of Poinsettia showing bright-red, pointed bracts, with cluster of tiny green, round flowers at centre, green leaves contrasting behind.
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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Frosty mornings & fluffed-up wings… Who’s behind door number 2? ❄️ #RSPBAdvent
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
❄️☃️My Next Christmas Markets🎄❄️
Friday 6th December
DOUNE CHRISTMAS FAIR (in An Dùn Art & Gifts)
17:00-21:00
Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th December
EDINBURGH ASSEMBLY ROOMS CHRISTMAS FAIR
10:30-17:00 each day
Friday 13th December
THE MARKET BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Killearn Country Market
17:00-21:00
Saturday 14th December
LEITH MARKET
10:00-16:00
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Sheila Whitehead @sheilawhitehead.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Christmas Lights at the Botanics, Edinburgh was really... well, magical, despite the cold and rain. So well done & music was lovely too. My photos don't do it justice.
Red lit up sign saying Botanics at entrance to Christmas Lights at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.White lit up birdsdisplay in trees as part of the Christmas lights at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.Multi coloured lights wind along the ground surrounding trees to illustrate mushrooms and underground mycelium network which forms a symbiotic relationship with the trees. Christmas Lights at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.Charming and jolly Robin lights forming part of the Robin trail at Christmas Lights at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh
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Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) @bsbibotany.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Peter Marren's 'Rare Plants' is out now, published by Bloomsbury @chiffchat.bsky.social Peter is one of our amazing #BSBImembers! Fellow members can claim a 20% discount when ordering their copy. For sample pages of the book & info on how to claim, go to: bsbipublicity.blogspot.com/2024/11/rare...
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Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) @bsbibotany.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Exciting to get a sneak peek at upcoming book on Urban Plants by @trevorthebotanist.bsky.social! Trevor's talk 'Untangling the Urban Jungle' at British & Irish Botanical Conference last Saturday gave us a taste of what we can expect from the book. Recorded talk here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2-p...
youtube.com
Untangling the urban jungle by Dr Trevor Dines
YouTube video by Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland
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MikeLikesPlants @mikelikesplants.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
My favorite thing in #plantscience today - diversity of cotton fiber color in native Peruvian cotton. www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?s... Cultivated cottons are typically white, but these native Gossypium barbadense can be brown, orange, cream, green, and lilac. That's right - natural lilac fiber!
Cotton fiber from Gossypium barbadense arranged in shades of brown, orange, cream, green, and lilac. Standard color charts pictured to demonstrate the tools used to categorize fiber colors.
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Alex Webb Lab @alexwebblab.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Enjoyed sneak preview of #Cambridge #Botanic Gardens winter lights courtesy of @beverleycubg.bsky.social . Me next to a time lapse of Linneas' floral clock, right next to the #circadian beds, part of the circadian trail. Come to Cambridge and learn all about #plant clocks. Enjoy the winter lights. 🧪
Alex Webb almost invisible in the dark next to an illuminated drawing of a floral clock
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Scottish Poetry Library @byleaveswelive.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Hello to all you poets & poetry fans. By way of an intro here's a poetry resource we've been working on for years. It features the internet's largest database of Scottish poets & their work, poetry-related blogs, podcasts, films, archive recordings, etc. Enjoy. x www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk
scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk
Scottish Poetry Library - The world's leading resource for Scottish poetry
The Scottish Poetry Library is a unique national resource and advocate for the art of poetry, and Scottish poetry in particular.
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Irises, 2012 by Scottish artist Elizabeth Blackadder
Painting  of around fourteen flowers in various shades of purple with streaks of yellow, on long green strems, arranged across the picture plane, the background is creamish white
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Sheila Whitehead @sheilawhitehead.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
@juliewychwoodgdns.bsky.social Hi, Julie, very pleased to reconnect here!
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WASPI Campaign @waspicampaign.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Help us get justice for 3.6 million #WASPI women not properly told about increases to their State Pension age. Retirement plans shattered. #DWP at fault. Sign our petition to get the Government to act. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
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Helen @helenintgarden.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
What a wonderful idea... a Scottish company... selling seeds... bred to be successful in colder places... 🌱
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Susie Dent @susiedentwords.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
This is both sad and infuriating. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
'Refused service again with my guide dog, I'm done speaking out'
Sean Dilley is inundated with abuse on social media whenever he posts about discrimination issues.
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Charlotte Strawbridge @cstrawbridgeart.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
In the winter wilderness, Wolf's spirit thrived. Fierce, untamed and free. She was known for her wild nature, her loyalty and her strength, and that was true. It was not all she was though; not all her truth. Wolf knew that her deepest power lay in the gentle touch of her soul. #WhenBeastsSpoke
Wolf looks to the left with a gentle look in her eyes. Oil painting.
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