Judy Webb
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judywebb.bsky.social
Judy Webb
@judywebb.bsky.social
1.1K followers 270 following 450 posts
Ecologist, Palynologist (pollen expert) quite good at Botany, Entomology & Mycology. Conservationist. Ex School Teacher, Ex Forensic Scientist.
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judywebb.bsky.social
A wonderful bee mimic, the Long-horned soldierfly.
January 30, 2026 at 9:06 PM
judywebb.bsky.social
Sphagnum mosses are so beautiful
sphagnums.bsky.social Sphagnum Moss @sphagnums.bsky.social · 25d
Sphagnum fallax var brevifolium, S. Flexuosum and S. medium/divinum #moss #bryophyte
January 30, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Judy Webb
robyaxley.bsky.social
Cladonia diversa is very variable, with some podetia bearing swollen bright red fruiting bodies, and others just tiny red studs on the cup rim. Heaths and dunes.
January 29, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
tombedford.bsky.social
The local Great Spotted Woodpeckers are fully into the aerial pursuit phase of their breeding season. Three birds were chasing each other continually over the Lye Valley area, Oxford, this morning, giving these calls:

macaulaylibrary.org/asset/649848...

@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#UKbirding
Great Spotted Woodpeckers in aerial pursuit (picture from 2022 at the same site). Great Spotted Woodpeckers in aerial pursuit (picture from 2022 at the same site).
January 29, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
xkcd.com
Early Arthropods

xkcd.com/3199/
3-panel comic. (1) [Three small arthropods on ocean floor.] ARTHROPOD 1: Now that we’re multicellular, what are your plans? I’m gonna evolve little legs and swim around with them! ARTHROPOD 2: I’m gonna evolve sharp pincers and use them to crunch stuff! ARTHROPOD 3: I’m gonna evolve glands to make string from my butt and use it to construct elaborate geometric nets hundreds of times my size to catch other animals. (2) [Silence] (3) ARTHROPOD 1: *Dude.* ARTHROPOD 2: Can you *please* just be normal about this? ARTHROPOD 3: *What??!*
January 28, 2026 at 7:57 PM
judywebb.bsky.social
I'm so fond of caterpillars!
wrenandbee.bsky.social James Bashford @wrenandbee.bsky.social · 4d
Let’s have a little love for larvae… 🐛

🎥 By James Bashford
🎶 Caterpillar Crawl by The Lively Ones
🌟 Created in Edits

#NatureWithin #TeamMoth @savebutterflies.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social
January 29, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
jeffontherock.bsky.social
Slime mold, Stemonitopsis typhina.
NWT, Canada. #fungifriends #myxomycetes. The slime mold is about 1cm high.
Photo of slime mold sporangia on tan coloured dead wood. Each sporangium has a thin silver stalk leading to a wiener-shaped top portion which looks like black putty.
January 26, 2026 at 12:55 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
This has been confirmed by DNA analysis as being Cortinarius lividomalvaceus. With oak on a road verge in Oxon. Maybe new to Britain...Hoping to get the verge a County Road Verge Nature Reserve, the first for fungi in county! many other nice woodland fungi here as well #fungifriends
January 27, 2026 at 10:04 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
Wow, furniture designed to look like fungi!
architecture.bsky.social Architecture @architecture.bsky.social · 3d
Fungus designed furniture by Paulo Octavious 🍄
Fungus designed furniture by Paulo Octavious 🍄 Fungus designed furniture by Paulo Octavious 🍄 Fungus designed furniture by Paulo Octavious 🍄 Fungus designed furniture by Paulo Octavious 🍄
January 27, 2026 at 8:54 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
A really pretty lichen..
jeffontherock.bsky.social Jeff, Stopping by Woods @jeffontherock.bsky.social · 5d
Lichen, Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca (orange rock posy lichen). NWT, Canada.
#lichen #fungi #fungifriends
The photo covers about 4cm left to right.
Photo of a lichen that looks like a large, white cornflake with black around the edges. The lichen is covered in about 20 or so tiny, round, orange apothecia. It’s growing on rose-coloured stone.
January 26, 2026 at 2:55 PM
judywebb.bsky.social
Birch polypore, or Razor-strop fungus - for finishing off the sharpening of your cut-throat razor.
January 24, 2026 at 12:02 PM
judywebb.bsky.social
We all need some good news like this..
titoalpastor.bsky.social Alberto Pastor 🦔 @titoalpastor.bsky.social · 7d
"The discovery launched a coordinated national effort of artificial egg incubation, captive breeding, relocation to predator-free offshore islands, and other measures that brought takahē back from the brink."
🦤🐦‍⬛🐦 #Takahē #NewZealand #Maori #Conservation #Wildlife #Nature #Biology #AmazingCritters
The Tenacious Takahē - bioGraphic
Once declared extinct, the world’s largest species of rail is returning to its former range in New Zealand.
www.biographic.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:54 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
A remarkable fungus, alien looking
maksympolyakov.bsky.social Maksym Polyakov 🇺🇦🌻 @maksympolyakov.bsky.social · 6d
First time seen devil's fingers in the wild
@ Waitakere Ranges, Auckland
📷🍄 #Mushrooms #fungi
January 24, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Judy Webb
tombedford.bsky.social
Some winter sunshine triggering ten species into song in the Lye Valley, Oxford, this morning, including the first singing Greenfinches of the year and a very brief burst of Blackcap song (in January!):

ebird.org/checklist/S2...

@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
@patchbirding.bsky.social
#ukbirding
eBird Checklist - 24 Jan 2026 - Lye Valley & Warneford Meadow - 40 species
Submitted by Tom Bedford.
ebird.org
January 24, 2026 at 10:35 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
Lovely flower illustrations, what a book to have!
rachelburch.bsky.social Rachel Burch @rachelburch.bsky.social · 6d
Day 24 of my ‘getting through January vintage floral plates from books’, illustrations from Wild flowers of the British isles Isobel Adams 1904
#botanical-illustration. I feel very lucky to own a volume of this book with beautiful paintings. Extra images today because the weathers been so awful.
Red and yellow poppies illustration Campion family of plants illustration Viola family of plants illustration.
January 24, 2026 at 11:34 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
Biodiversity is incredible. Who could imagine this strange and beautiful deep sea fish?
mbarinews.bsky.social MBARI @mbarinews.bsky.social · 8d
After the recent rare sighting of this deep-sea wonder right off the coast of Monterey Bay, we decided to dig into our archives and share a few more glimpses of this fantastically frilly fish (Trachipterus altivelis).
January 23, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
drtonygillie.bsky.social
Magpie (Pica pica) displaying its fantastically colourful tail feathers for Rob's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #TailsUp. And to think many people think of Magpies as just being black and white!
#birds #UKWildlife #EastCoastKin #LyeValley #WildlifePhotography
A medium sized bird facing the camera but with its head down is standing on a large old log. Its head and back appear black, though there's a white stripe on the wing and a blue patch at the base of its back. It's tail feathers are slightly spread out and appear as iridescent greens, purples and blues.
January 22, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Judy Webb
friendlyevalley.bsky.social
🎵 We're raking in the rain,
Just raking in the rain,
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again 🎵

Despite heavy rain this morning we continued to rake cut material on part of our #SSSI onto drag sheets to build up the soft eroded peat banks of the Lye Brook.
#FenRestoration #OxfordshireFens #OX3
🌰🌍
A man in a light blue anorak, dark blue trousers and a cap is raking a pile of cut vegetation onto a drag sheet. There are many other piles of cut material around him. In the background an area with short vegetation. There are green bushes in the background to the right, and bare trees on teh background on the left.
January 21, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
jeremybartlett.bsky.social
Arched Earthstar, Geastrum fornicatum.

In a churchyard in South Norfolk, seen on yesterday's bike ride.

www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2024/02/22/a...

#Fungi #FungiFriends
Arched Earthstar, Geastrum fornicatum Arched Earthstar, Geastrum fornicatum Arched Earthstar, Geastrum fornicatum (in my hand). Arched Earthstar, Geastrum fornicatum (in my hand).
January 21, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
lukaslarge.bsky.social
Flammulina velutipes by Hans Walty #FungiFriends #MushroomMonday
A cluster of mushrooms with dark stipes and orange caps viewed from below
January 20, 2026 at 8:43 PM
judywebb.bsky.social
One to look out for on deadwood now..
jeremybartlett.bsky.social Jeremy Bartlett @jeremybartlett.bsky.social · 11d
Winter Polypore, Polyporus brumalis.

East Winch Common, on yesterday's Norfolk Fungus Study Group foray.

www.first-nature.com/fungi/polypo...

#Fungi #FungiFriends
Winter Polypore, Polyporus brumalis. A fruitbody in my hand, showing the underside (white with pores). Winter Polypore, Polyporus brumalis. A fruitbody in my hand, showing the brown upperside. Winter Polypore, Polyporus brumalis. A fruitbody in my hand, showing the underside (white with pores).
January 19, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
drtonygillie.bsky.social
For @alan678.bsky.social's #BirdOfTheDay theme today I have a Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) on an old log pile in low #WinterLight in Oxford's #LyeValley. Such restless birds!
#birds #UKWildlife #WildlifePhotography #EastCoastKin
A small rounded brown bird with a short erect tail is standing on the cut end of an old log facing left. It's highlighted against a freshly sawn log showing light wood still covered in bark.
January 19, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Judy Webb
tombedford.bsky.social
If you are in the Oxford area on Friday evening, I’m presenting a talk about the birds of the Lye Valley area. It’s a one hour multimedia celebration (sounds and pictures!) of some of the amazing birds recorded in this area of the city. All welcome.
@friendlyevalley.bsky.social
#Oxford #birds
January 19, 2026 at 10:18 AM
judywebb.bsky.social
Fungi can be so weird. Why is guttation necessary?
britishecologicalsociety.org British Ecological Society @britishecologicalsociety.org · 15d
Fungus or a festive ornament? 🍄This small, spheroid fungus (Abortiporus biennis) was found on decaying wood, its main nutrient source, in an urban park in Nanning, China. The vivid red liquid settled on the white surface is guttation – when fungi excrete their internal liquid.  

📸 Junjie Liu
Image of a pheroid fungus (Abortiporus biennis) was found on decaying wood, its main nutrient source, in an urban park in Nanning, China.
January 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Judy Webb
lukelukeluke.bsky.social
Here are some nice mushrooms
A family of rosy splitgill mushrooms peeks out from behind a branch where they grow from a smaller twig in a bare forest. They cluster like a tiny fireworks display. All photos by me
January 14, 2026 at 4:18 PM