Prof. Jeff Ollerton
@jeffollerton.bsky.social
Biodiversity scientist, focused mainly on pollinators and their interactions with plants. Author of 'Pollinators & Pollination: Nature and Society' (Pelagic 2021) and 'Birds & Flowers: An Intimate 50 Million Year Relationship' (Pelagic 2024).
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
How does biodiversity support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals?
From pollinators for food (SDG 2) to forests for water (SDG 6) and carbon storage (SDG 13), healthy ecosystems underpin global goals.
Join @jeffollerton.bsky.social on 31 Mar 2026: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
From pollinators for food (SDG 2) to forests for water (SDG 6) and carbon storage (SDG 13), healthy ecosystems underpin global goals.
Join @jeffollerton.bsky.social on 31 Mar 2026: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
Biodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Discover why biodiversity matters, how it supports the UN SDGs, how change is monitored, and what actions lead to a nature-positive future.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 3:16 PM
How does biodiversity support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals?
From pollinators for food (SDG 2) to forests for water (SDG 6) and carbon storage (SDG 13), healthy ecosystems underpin global goals.
Join @jeffollerton.bsky.social on 31 Mar 2026: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
From pollinators for food (SDG 2) to forests for water (SDG 6) and carbon storage (SDG 13), healthy ecosystems underpin global goals.
Join @jeffollerton.bsky.social on 31 Mar 2026: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
A new UK government report warns that global #biodiversity loss threatens food security, economic stability, and geopolitical order. In my latest blog post I ask whether pollination should now be considered a #nationalsecurity issue:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/26/p...
@butterfly-project.bsky.social
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/26/p...
@butterfly-project.bsky.social
Pollination as a matter of national security
In these turbulent times it’s hard to know where to focus one’s gaze. Do we concentrate on Ukraine? Greenland? Venezuela? Sudan? China? Russia? The Middle East? The rise of the far righ…
jeffollerton.co.uk
January 26, 2026 at 2:57 PM
A new UK government report warns that global #biodiversity loss threatens food security, economic stability, and geopolitical order. In my latest blog post I ask whether pollination should now be considered a #nationalsecurity issue:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/26/p...
@butterfly-project.bsky.social
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/26/p...
@butterfly-project.bsky.social
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
🧵1/4
⚡🦋 Electrostatic pollination by butterflies and moths
Butterflies and moths accumulate electrostatic charge as they fly, allowing them to pull pollen grains off flowers without even touching them. In other words, they can literally attract pollen through the air.
doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
⚡🦋 Electrostatic pollination by butterflies and moths
Butterflies and moths accumulate electrostatic charge as they fly, allowing them to pull pollen grains off flowers without even touching them. In other words, they can literally attract pollen through the air.
doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
January 22, 2026 at 11:41 AM
🧵1/4
⚡🦋 Electrostatic pollination by butterflies and moths
Butterflies and moths accumulate electrostatic charge as they fly, allowing them to pull pollen grains off flowers without even touching them. In other words, they can literally attract pollen through the air.
doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
⚡🦋 Electrostatic pollination by butterflies and moths
Butterflies and moths accumulate electrostatic charge as they fly, allowing them to pull pollen grains off flowers without even touching them. In other words, they can literally attract pollen through the air.
doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
NEW EVENT! Plant–Pollinator Interactions Underpin the SDGs 🏵️
Explore how pollinators support food security, health, climate resilience & biodiversity, and why their protection matters - With Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social on MAY 26th 🌎 🧪
Book now:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980275133...
Explore how pollinators support food security, health, climate resilience & biodiversity, and why their protection matters - With Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social on MAY 26th 🌎 🧪
Book now:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980275133...
January 22, 2026 at 10:26 AM
NEW EVENT! Plant–Pollinator Interactions Underpin the SDGs 🏵️
Explore how pollinators support food security, health, climate resilience & biodiversity, and why their protection matters - With Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social on MAY 26th 🌎 🧪
Book now:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980275133...
Explore how pollinators support food security, health, climate resilience & biodiversity, and why their protection matters - With Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social on MAY 26th 🌎 🧪
Book now:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980275133...
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
🌍 Biodiversity & the SDGs | Tue 31 Mar 2026
How does nature support food, water & climate goals? Join Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social to explore biodiversity’s vital role in the UN SDGs and a nature-positive future. £12.50 🧪
🎟️ Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
How does nature support food, water & climate goals? Join Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social to explore biodiversity’s vital role in the UN SDGs and a nature-positive future. £12.50 🧪
🎟️ Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
January 16, 2026 at 4:39 PM
🌍 Biodiversity & the SDGs | Tue 31 Mar 2026
How does nature support food, water & climate goals? Join Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social to explore biodiversity’s vital role in the UN SDGs and a nature-positive future. £12.50 🧪
🎟️ Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
How does nature support food, water & climate goals? Join Professor @jeffollerton.bsky.social to explore biodiversity’s vital role in the UN SDGs and a nature-positive future. £12.50 🧪
🎟️ Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980197493...
In piece that I posted on my blog before Christmas, I made the offhand comment that “we need to think of #AI as a collaborator as much as a tool“. I decided to ask the question of #ChatGPT itself and we ended up having quite a long conversation on this topic:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/12/s...
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/12/s...
Should AI be thought of as a science tool or collaborator? A conversation with ChatGPT
In a piece that I posted before Christmas, I made the offhand comment that “we need to think of AI as a collaborator as much as a tool”. It’s offhand in the fact that I’d no…
jeffollerton.co.uk
January 12, 2026 at 5:09 PM
In piece that I posted on my blog before Christmas, I made the offhand comment that “we need to think of #AI as a collaborator as much as a tool“. I decided to ask the question of #ChatGPT itself and we ended up having quite a long conversation on this topic:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/12/s...
jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/01/12/s...
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
Last chance to book 🌿
Join the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 on 14 Jan for cutting-edge garden science — from ponds & pollinators to fungi and urban mammals, with expert speakers from across the UK.
🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @ptes-org.bsky.social
Join the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 on 14 Jan for cutting-edge garden science — from ponds & pollinators to fungi and urban mammals, with expert speakers from across the UK.
🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @ptes-org.bsky.social
January 9, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Last chance to book 🌿
Join the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 on 14 Jan for cutting-edge garden science — from ponds & pollinators to fungi and urban mammals, with expert speakers from across the UK.
🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @ptes-org.bsky.social
Join the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 on 14 Jan for cutting-edge garden science — from ponds & pollinators to fungi and urban mammals, with expert speakers from across the UK.
🔗 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @ptes-org.bsky.social
If you're reading Jeremy Fox's book book "The Ecology of Ecologists", let him know what you think of it for a chance to win a signed bookplate: dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/01/05/s...
#ecology #biodiversity #books
#ecology #biodiversity #books
Spread the word about The Ecology of Ecologists and get a free signed bookplate! (UPDATED)
I hope you had a happy holiday. I certainly did, in no small part because my book is finally out! (woohoo!) (update: link fixed) The Ecology of Ecologists: Harnessing Diverse Approaches for a Stron…
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:34 PM
If you're reading Jeremy Fox's book book "The Ecology of Ecologists", let him know what you think of it for a chance to win a signed bookplate: dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/01/05/s...
#ecology #biodiversity #books
#ecology #biodiversity #books
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
On the first day of Christmas (in about 2014), @duckswabber.bsky.social gave to me - a partridge in a pear tree.
Happy Christmas everyone!
Happy Christmas everyone!
December 25, 2025 at 8:03 AM
On the first day of Christmas (in about 2014), @duckswabber.bsky.social gave to me - a partridge in a pear tree.
Happy Christmas everyone!
Happy Christmas everyone!
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
“A Christmas lesson from plant ecology: why plants like holly and mistletoe may not be as well defended as we think” - pleased to have been involved in this project jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/24/a...
A Christmas lesson from plant ecology: why plants like holly and mistletoe may not be as well defended as we think
Christmas is a time of expectations, when we assume that familiar traditions will work as they always have. Some traditions are associated with plants such as holly and mistletoe. In ecology, we ma…
jeffollerton.co.uk
December 24, 2025 at 9:37 PM
“A Christmas lesson from plant ecology: why plants like holly and mistletoe may not be as well defended as we think” - pleased to have been involved in this project jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/24/a...
A Christmas lesson from plant ecology: why plants like holly and mistletoe may not be as well defended as we think:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/24/a...
Merry Christmas everyone!
#ecology #biodiversity #Christmas
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/24/a...
Merry Christmas everyone!
#ecology #biodiversity #Christmas
A Christmas lesson from plant ecology: why plants like holly and mistletoe may not be as well defended as we think
Christmas is a time of expectations, when we assume that familiar traditions will work as they always have. Some traditions are associated with plants such as holly and mistletoe. In ecology, we ma…
jeffollerton.co.uk
December 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
A Christmas lesson from plant ecology: why plants like holly and mistletoe may not be as well defended as we think:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/24/a...
Merry Christmas everyone!
#ecology #biodiversity #Christmas
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/24/a...
Merry Christmas everyone!
#ecology #biodiversity #Christmas
The UK’s #wildlife is under increasing pressure, and #gardens are becoming ever more important.
That’s exactly why the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium has become such a valuable (& free!) annual event.
More details here:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
#pollinators #mammals #fungi #ponds
That’s exactly why the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium has become such a valuable (& free!) annual event.
More details here:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
#pollinators #mammals #fungi #ponds
Join me at the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 14th January 2026 – Free Registration Now Open!
At a time when the UK’s wildlife is under increasing pressure, the everyday spaces we manage—especially gardens—are becoming ever more important. Although interest in wildlife-friendly gardening ha…
jeffollerton.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
The UK’s #wildlife is under increasing pressure, and #gardens are becoming ever more important.
That’s exactly why the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium has become such a valuable (& free!) annual event.
More details here:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
#pollinators #mammals #fungi #ponds
That’s exactly why the Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium has become such a valuable (& free!) annual event.
More details here:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
#pollinators #mammals #fungi #ponds
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
Here's a sneak preview of the latest Pollinator Project! It's going to be something special. Welcome ProPollSoil on board!
The #ProPollSoil project has officially got underway, coming together to explore two big questions: How does the health of our soils shape the fate of #pollinators? And how do pollinators influence #soil health?
Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...
#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil
Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...
#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil
Connecting soils and pollinators: the ProPollSoil project kicks off in Germany!
The ProPollSoil project officially got underway on 1st October, and this week (16th–20th November) our consortium gathered in Freising, Germany, for the kick-off meeting hosted by the Technical Uni…
jeffollerton.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Here's a sneak preview of the latest Pollinator Project! It's going to be something special. Welcome ProPollSoil on board!
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
Insect poop is key for soil health. Much more key than mammalian poop. Insects are now declining much faster than human children can grow up and develop. Massive extinction debt. When we lose biomass faster than species - it's worse than the other way around. Ecological worst case.
November 21, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Insect poop is key for soil health. Much more key than mammalian poop. Insects are now declining much faster than human children can grow up and develop. Massive extinction debt. When we lose biomass faster than species - it's worse than the other way around. Ecological worst case.
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
🌱 Meet us at European Mission Soil Week 2025!
Join SoilWise on Day 1 of the Mission Soil Project Trail 🌍
🔎 Data users: explore FAIR soil data for better decisions.
📊 Data providers: make your data discoverable!
#EMSW2025 #MissionSoil #SoilWiseProject #SoilData #FAIRdata #SoilHealth #HorizonEurope
Join SoilWise on Day 1 of the Mission Soil Project Trail 🌍
🔎 Data users: explore FAIR soil data for better decisions.
📊 Data providers: make your data discoverable!
#EMSW2025 #MissionSoil #SoilWiseProject #SoilData #FAIRdata #SoilHealth #HorizonEurope
November 3, 2025 at 7:46 AM
🌱 Meet us at European Mission Soil Week 2025!
Join SoilWise on Day 1 of the Mission Soil Project Trail 🌍
🔎 Data users: explore FAIR soil data for better decisions.
📊 Data providers: make your data discoverable!
#EMSW2025 #MissionSoil #SoilWiseProject #SoilData #FAIRdata #SoilHealth #HorizonEurope
Join SoilWise on Day 1 of the Mission Soil Project Trail 🌍
🔎 Data users: explore FAIR soil data for better decisions.
📊 Data providers: make your data discoverable!
#EMSW2025 #MissionSoil #SoilWiseProject #SoilData #FAIRdata #SoilHealth #HorizonEurope
The #ProPollSoil project has officially got underway, coming together to explore two big questions: How does the health of our soils shape the fate of #pollinators? And how do pollinators influence #soil health?
Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...
#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil
Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...
#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil
Connecting soils and pollinators: the ProPollSoil project kicks off in Germany!
The ProPollSoil project officially got underway on 1st October, and this week (16th–20th November) our consortium gathered in Freising, Germany, for the kick-off meeting hosted by the Technical Uni…
jeffollerton.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 1:38 PM
The #ProPollSoil project has officially got underway, coming together to explore two big questions: How does the health of our soils shape the fate of #pollinators? And how do pollinators influence #soil health?
Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...
#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil
Read more here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/21/c...
#bees #biodiversity #MissionSoil
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
🌿 Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 🌿
Join leading researchers sharing evidence-based insights on ponds, pollinators, fungi and urban mammals. Coming up on 14th Jan.
More details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @jassydrak.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social
Join leading researchers sharing evidence-based insights on ponds, pollinators, fungi and urban mammals. Coming up on 14th Jan.
More details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @jassydrak.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 11:38 AM
🌿 Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026 🌿
Join leading researchers sharing evidence-based insights on ponds, pollinators, fungi and urban mammals. Coming up on 14th Jan.
More details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @jassydrak.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social
Join leading researchers sharing evidence-based insights on ponds, pollinators, fungi and urban mammals. Coming up on 14th Jan.
More details: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1419239717...
@jeffollerton.bsky.social @jassydrak.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social
I sometimes worry that Bluesky is going to go the way of Twitter and be taken over by anonymous, hateful trolls who don't know how to discuss, only insult.
"I am a biodiversity prof, I know ethics better, I should lead the discourse of environmental conversations with Chinese government, disregarding the fact that they have a long history of censoring public opinions on env conversation"
UN says no, you clown🤡.
UN says no, you clown🤡.
November 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
I sometimes worry that Bluesky is going to go the way of Twitter and be taken over by anonymous, hateful trolls who don't know how to discuss, only insult.
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
"I am a biodiversity prof, I know ethics better, I should lead the discourse of environmental conversations with Chinese government, disregarding the fact that they have a long history of censoring public opinions on env conversation"
UN says no, you clown🤡.
UN says no, you clown🤡.
November 16, 2025 at 11:49 PM
"I am a biodiversity prof, I know ethics better, I should lead the discourse of environmental conversations with Chinese government, disregarding the fact that they have a long history of censoring public opinions on env conversation"
UN says no, you clown🤡.
UN says no, you clown🤡.
I'm actually a Professor of Biodiversity, and if #biodiversity is not a political subject, I don't know what is....
My point is that
1. Professor of biology should not make commentary about politics, because it is naive and unprofessional. You are not even an environment scientist which have more interdisciplinary exposure to geopolitics and international law about environmental protection.
1. Professor of biology should not make commentary about politics, because it is naive and unprofessional. You are not even an environment scientist which have more interdisciplinary exposure to geopolitics and international law about environmental protection.
November 16, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I'm actually a Professor of Biodiversity, and if #biodiversity is not a political subject, I don't know what is....
Pollinators and politics in China:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/14/p...
#China #Bees #Pollinators #Biodiversity
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/14/p...
#China #Bees #Pollinators #Biodiversity
Pollinators and politics in China
Last week I returned from a 14 day visit to China to colleagues at the Kunming Institute of Botany in Yunnan, part of a three-year commitment to working there that I documented on the blog last yea…
jeffollerton.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Pollinators and politics in China:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/14/p...
#China #Bees #Pollinators #Biodiversity
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/14/p...
#China #Bees #Pollinators #Biodiversity
Recently I've been carrying out more complex statistical analyses & understanding those tests on a much deeper level than before. Why the over night change? What does this have to do with a legendary #blues musician? Read on:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/11/a...
#ChatGPT #AI #ecology #biodiversity
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/11/a...
#ChatGPT #AI #ecology #biodiversity
AI at the crossroads: can ChatGPT turn you into a statistical Robert Johnson?
When is comes to the statistical analysis of data, I know my limits. Maths was never my strong point at school or university, and my approach has always been to keep analyses as simple and straight…
jeffollerton.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Recently I've been carrying out more complex statistical analyses & understanding those tests on a much deeper level than before. Why the over night change? What does this have to do with a legendary #blues musician? Read on:
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/11/a...
#ChatGPT #AI #ecology #biodiversity
jeffollerton.co.uk/2025/11/11/a...
#ChatGPT #AI #ecology #biodiversity
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
Another superb example of #biomimicry reinforcing the intrinsic significance of protecting all biodiversity including the newts, bats & invertebrates demonised as barriers to development by Rachel Reeves
As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.
phys.org/news/2025-10...
As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.
phys.org/news/2025-10...
Smart cutting system used by female sawflies could transform surgery and reduce patient harm
Scientists at Heriot-Watt University have unlocked the secret behind how female sawflies make specific cuts to plants—a discovery that could revolutionize surgical instruments and dramatically reduce ...
phys.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Another superb example of #biomimicry reinforcing the intrinsic significance of protecting all biodiversity including the newts, bats & invertebrates demonised as barriers to development by Rachel Reeves
As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.
phys.org/news/2025-10...
As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.
phys.org/news/2025-10...
Reposted by Prof. Jeff Ollerton
Hopefully of interest!
@royentsoc.bsky.social
@britentsoc.bsky.social
@amentsoc.bsky.social
@jeffollerton.bsky.social
@davegoulson.bsky.social
@stevenfalk.bsky.social
@juliet-turner.bsky.social
@sorbynathissoc.bsky.social
@andymus.bsky.social
@entopoc.bsky.social
@nbntrust.bsky.social
@royentsoc.bsky.social
@britentsoc.bsky.social
@amentsoc.bsky.social
@jeffollerton.bsky.social
@davegoulson.bsky.social
@stevenfalk.bsky.social
@juliet-turner.bsky.social
@sorbynathissoc.bsky.social
@andymus.bsky.social
@entopoc.bsky.social
@nbntrust.bsky.social
Another superb example of #biomimicry reinforcing the intrinsic significance of protecting all biodiversity including the newts, bats & invertebrates demonised as barriers to development by Rachel Reeves
As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.
phys.org/news/2025-10...
As this study demonstrates one day they may literally save your life.
phys.org/news/2025-10...
Smart cutting system used by female sawflies could transform surgery and reduce patient harm
Scientists at Heriot-Watt University have unlocked the secret behind how female sawflies make specific cuts to plants—a discovery that could revolutionize surgical instruments and dramatically reduce ...
phys.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:09 PM