Vanishing experts, vanishing species: The taxonomy crisis

Training a new generation of taxonomists is urgent and new research maps where help is most needed to close the skill gaps.

www.kew.org/read-and-wat...

Font at St Giles Sidbury #Devon. Font is 1450s but lockplate c1300 - repurposed at some point when it was found necessary to preserve the consecrated water. Last year a vandal damaged the lock thinking something valuable must be secreted- never thought to just lift the covering! #FontsonFriday

From heatwaves to floods, climate change is affecting not just our surroundings, but our wellbeing. Our latest report shares the impact climate change is already having on the mental health of the UK population. 🌍🧠

Next Tuesday 18 Nov 11.00 am there will be a fish lift at #Sidmouth School Weir to help migrating trout & salmon to reach their breeding grounds higher up the #RiverSid. The weir is too high; you can see them trying now! @ric64.bsky.social @richardfoordld.bsky.social @stuarthughes747.bsky.social

In the bucket after @riverflies.bsky.social sampling River #Sid many of these three spined sticklebacks. At least some fish are thriving here and not dependent on jumping school weir from the sea! @stuarthughes747.bsky.social @sidmouthherald.bsky.social

Many thanks, once again, @pdfsam.org for brilliant, easy to use, program enabling me to split out English sections from Herschel infrared multi-lingual heater manuals. (Which I see @lowcarbondave has nicely installed. Heaters, not manuals.) Decisions nearly there, but #IRheating looks the way to go.

🪰 Freshwater Friday - Flat-bodied stone-clingers (Heptageniidae)

Larvae in this family of mayflies have a flattened shape, which is perfect for clinging to rocks in fast-flowing streams.

If you spot them, it’s a good sign of a healthy river.

#FreshwaterFriday #Riverfly #Heptageniidae

Opened a window and see a lot of hibernating ladybirds. Are any of them Harlequins? @ukladybirds.bsky.social Buglife says "red with 0-22 black spots and larger than most others" Do any of these qualify? Should I sweep them up to look for orange legs?

Did you know some of the world’s most threatened plants can’t be stored in our seed bank at –20° C? 🌱

This makes them highly vulnerable to extinction, but cryopreservation could be their lifeline. Go behind the scenes to learn how 👇

🎧 Learn more in our latest podcast episode: ow.ly/Q1Nl50XlYTF

A lot of wood-rotting fungus Coriolus versicolor on some old birch logs. A bit horrified to see people touting this inedible fungus as a supplement! @britmycolsoc.org.uk Is that just because in the USA they think it looks like a Turkey's tail?!