Stephen Spitewinter
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spitewinter.bsky.social
Stephen Spitewinter
@spitewinter.bsky.social
🌱 #History, #Botany, #Plants, #Gardening, #Art, #Allotment, Economic & Social History, Small-scale food production, Cricket. Mending old things and restoring old houses. Location 🇬🇧
I reply to comments on my posts, but not often to DMs
Pinned
I'm sometimes in a hurry! All typos and spelling mistakes (particularly the Latin ones) are entirely my own! 🙂
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

Overnight the user accounts total went past +38,000,000 of you since I signed up 2 years ago.

Thank you all for being pleasant, intelligent & friendly people. Such a change!

I'm a little busy today. Have a good day!
November 11, 2025 at 11:49 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

I hope you all had a good weekend.
My local weather forecast is for at least 14 days of tepid British drizzle. I'd better find something useful to do indoors. 🙁
November 10, 2025 at 8:21 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

Drosera rotundifolia - Round-Leaved Sundew

A reminder of how adaptable plants are in even the most unlikely of environments. Common to Northern Hemisphere, all continents.

A good, short article from the 🇬🇧 Wildlife Trust:
www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-exp...
November 10, 2025 at 8:21 AM
#plants #history #botany #art

Papaver Rhoeas - Common Poppy

Remembrance Sunday in 🇬🇧.

The guns of 1914 - 1918 fell silent, and we wear poppies. We pay our respects to all those who have served and fallen in the defence of our freedom.

In Flanders Fields
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47380/...
November 9, 2025 at 8:29 AM
#plants #trees #history #botany #art 🌳

Have a good weekend, get out into the woods and enjoy a little solitude if you can. 🙂

Sergei Vinogradov 1869-1938 USSR
'A walk through the woods in Autumn'
Oils on Canvas c1925 (?)

Short bio and other works:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_...
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reposted by Stephen Spitewinter
Today's #OnlineArtExchange is most dramatic artworks ⚡🌟

We're starting with some theatrical portraits 👉 https://artuk.org/discover/stories/hamming-it-up-a-closer-look-at-the-genre-of-theatrical-portraits

'Dame Ellen Terry, as Lady Macbeth' by Reginald Grenville Eves (1876–1941) 📷 Eden herb
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

Good Morning, All... I'm now fitted with newly repaired eyesight and it's good to see you! 🧐

Sir George Clausen, R.A. 1852-1944
'Ploughing on an Autumn day'
Pencil, Watercolour, Ink and Gouache, c1925

Short bio and other works:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_...
November 6, 2025 at 2:08 AM
#plants #trees #history #botany #art 🌲

Larix decidua - European Larch

A favourite of commercial timber planters. Tough, deciduous and withstands very low temperatures. My thanks to wbfmorningstar.bsky.social 🙂

Guide to identifying common forestry (I need one...)
ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/an...
November 6, 2025 at 2:08 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

Good Morning, All. Monday is sweeping across the globe and I wish you all a happy week to come.

I won't be around this week - I'm going to have eye surgery and I may have to take it easy for a few days. See my posts for today.
November 3, 2025 at 1:12 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

Erythroxylum coca - Coca (shrub)

🧵/1
And so here's the plant that's making my eye surgery possible. It gets a bad name but it's where most modern local anaesthetics originate. I've posted it before but I've a special interest this week.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca
November 3, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Stephen Spitewinter
If you are celebrating Bonfire Night this weekend, wherever you live in the world, please check for Wildlife before lighting! 🔥🦔 If you live in the UK please check for hedgehogs as they will make a home in an unlit bonfire pile 🪵🦔🍂 #bonfire #bonfirenight #hedgehog #nature #wildlife #halloween #hogs
November 1, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I just noticed. Well done everybody!
October 31, 2025 at 10:52 AM
#plants #history #botany #art

Friday has arrived in Europe. Walk in the park. Have a good weekend!

Abram Anshelevich Manievich (1883-1942)
Bronx River Park (Sometimes listed as Bronx Park - not the same, I know.)
Oils on canvas c1923

Short bio. & views of other works:
arthive.com/artists/2398...
October 31, 2025 at 12:54 AM
#plants #gardening #roses #botany #history #art 🌼

Rosa × odorata - Tea Rose Comtesse de Nadaillac

Roses come and go, this one is still with us after 150 years. Comtesse de Nadaillac was bred by Jean-Baptiste André (fils) Guillot (1827-1893) in France, c1871. This illustration published c1889.
October 30, 2025 at 4:58 AM
#plants #history #botany #history #art 🌼

Kniphofia uvaria - Torch Lily, Red Hot Poker

Split & gift clumps of K.uvaria with friends for free new plants in bright, #bee & #pollinator friendly gardens. Origins S #Africa C19th, published c1841

How to propagate:
www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-...
October 29, 2025 at 4:47 AM
#plants #ferns #history #botany #art 🌱

Struthiopteris spicant syn. Blechnum spicant - Deer Fern, Hard Fern.

Hardy, attractive and very adaptable ancient fern common from #Nordic countries to #Iran, and #Pacific NW seaboard from #Alaska to #California.

Grow ferns -
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types...
October 28, 2025 at 1:04 AM
#plants #botany #history #art

Good Morning All! Monday morning has dawned despite my best efforts to stop it.
I hope you all had a good weekend and spent some quality time on yourselves.
October 27, 2025 at 9:14 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌼

Banksia menziesii - Firewood Banksia, Menzies Banksia

W. #Australia, and B.menziesii recorded by Sir Joseph Banks, voyage of HMS Endeavour, 1768-71. Named after Archibald Menzies, surgeon and botanist. Illustration by Ellis Rowan

Ref:
anpsa.org.au/plant_profil...
October 27, 2025 at 9:14 AM
I just noticed a post by bsky.app/profile/gr33... about un-mendable appliances.

The iFixit Community in the UK try to fix anything, regardless of the obstacles thrown into the way by big business.
www.ifixit.com

And a series of podcasts to show what they get up to:
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...
BBC Sounds - Dare to Repair - Available Episodes
Listen to the latest episodes of Dare to Repair on BBC Sounds.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 27, 2025 at 12:51 AM
#plants #trees #history #art 🌳

Friday is here and I wish you all a peaceful weekend, and do something outside if that's possible. I'm going to be having a very intense tidy up and putting out my winter clothes.

William Alexander Griffith 1866-1940
American Autumn Landscape
Oils on canvas c1928
October 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
#Plants #food #vegetables #history

Good reminder of the value of improvised #gardening
While the UK's Dig for Victory campaign to promote urban food produce in WW2 is part of national story, here in Catalonia the remarkable work by Barcelona's anarchist city farming collectives during the Civil War was forgotten, but has come to light thanks to research by MartaCamps+SantiagoGorostiza
October 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by Stephen Spitewinter
you can say what you want about mercantilism but it's a beauty. it's in Sydney but they cross the ocean all the time. southernwoodenboatsailing.com/news/duyfken...
DUYFKEN- The Little Dove — Southern Woodenboat Sailing
DUYFKEN —Little Dove—was 80 feet long, shoal draft and carvel planked. She had three masts and a total of six working sails. She was fast, sturdy and had a relatively small crew of 20. Her design wa...
southernwoodenboatsailing.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:12 PM
#plants #history #botany #art
Impatiens glandulifera - Himalayan Balsam

I saw some yesterday. Long-flowering, graceful, but an invasive problem. introduced c1839 (I think by John Forbes Royle) as were Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed.

Unintended consequences:
www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/himala...
October 22, 2025 at 1:06 AM
#plants #food #vegetables 🥬

Books to look at if you are new to #gardening: Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency.

I am NOT suggesting that you join a self-sufficiency commune. This book has a big chunk of good advice on vegetable growing/planning.

1970s Cautionary tale:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazin...
October 22, 2025 at 1:06 AM
#plants #history #botany #art 🌱

Nepenthes - Monkey Cups, many var.

Hanging pitcher plants named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 but probably without having seen one. Origins SE Asia to N Australia. Popular house plants since Victorian period in N Hemisphere

General HowTo
www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types...
October 21, 2025 at 11:22 AM