First time seeing Tunbridge filmy fern (Hymenophyllum tunbrigens) in Omagh yesterday thanks to @dmac00.bsky.social. Such a beautiful fern!

Spiranthes spiralis at Killard Point a week or so ago! My first time seeing them.

Peronospora violacea is a common pathogen which is visible at the minute galling the flower heads of Devil's-bit Scabious. You can see in the left picture the elongated corollas extend past the bracts unlike the uninfected plant on the right. Note too the stamens have not developed.
#FungiFriends

First time seeing Epipactis palustris in the wild and a beautiful sawfly (Abia sp. maybe A. nitens) from the Umbra! A really biodiverse dune system, was great to be surveying there with buglife.

Bee orchid and thyme broomrape from Portstewart this week! Was really pleased to find these. I'd never seen an Orobanche species before.

actionnetwork.org/letters/form...

I am starting a PhD and am looking for grassland restoration/rewilding sites in Northern Ireland! Please forward this flier to anyone who might be interested in having their land surveyed for fungi!

Some fun finds of recent. I saw my first ever moss carder bee in Dublin at Bloom! Also some cool Northern Marsh Orchids by Mussenden (although they may be hybrids with fuchsii). A pic of B.lapidarius. At Lagan Meadows with @bitheolaidhe.bsky.social we saw Microbotryum coronariae, a really cool find!

Candy striped Flatworm (Prostheceraeus vittatus) and its prey the lightbulb sea squirt (Clavelina lepadiformis) at Strangford Lough

#flatworm

I was extremely pleased to refind Microbotryum coronariae on Ragged Robin today at Lagan Meadows with @jalcorn536.bsky.social . This is a rare species which I last saw here in 2020 – every year since, I have been busy with exams around this time.
#FungiFriends

I spent the last couple of days doing some volunteer survey work with Buglife at the North Coast and Blackhead. Highlights were seeing some Ruby tail wasps as well as the Colletes bees. My first time seeing a bee from that genus ! Possibly C. floralis.

First time at Killard yesterday and saw many cool plants and their pathogens with @bitheolaidhe.bsky.social .First time seeing green winged orchids, dodder and sea bindweed! Also saw my first red tail bumblebee this year, some mining and nomad bees, as well as Ancistrocerus and Ruby tail wasps!

@jalcorn536.bsky.social and I braved the clifftop at Killard today to see Dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) at its last Ulster station. There were three small patches clinging on to Thyme at the edge of a rather crumbly cliff – I think one bad storm could wipe out the whole population!

Hello! I'm not very active on bluesky, but I thought it was worth sharing that I'm going to be working for the @rspb.bsky.social this summer, at the Seabird Centre on Rathlin! The Centre opens on 20th April, and I'm so excited to get started and meet lots of new people!! 🪶🌿

Some cute insect finds from Lagan Meadows today! Lots of nomad bees (Goodens and Marshams) and saw my first Sphecodes bee (no good photos though).

Some beautiful finds from rock pooling at Ballyhenry Bay and all first time findings!

Nereiphylla paretti (first time seeing it in the wild!!!), Tubulanus annulatus, Ophiocomina nigra and Aeolidia filomenae.