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matttherhino.bsky.social
@matttherhino.bsky.social
21 followers 37 following 120 posts
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matttherhino.bsky.social
I may have misread the title of this movie.

🫢
December 4, 2025 at 10:30 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
This is fascinating. Who knew there were so many prehistoric garden features out there?

(@cpdinosaurs.bsky.social are the original and best of course.)
gardenheritage.bsky.social Gardens, Heritage & Planning @gardenheritage.bsky.social · 20d
This week’s blog post (bit.ly/49Uaonr) is all about dinosaurs. There are a surprising number to be found in parks and gardens, as it happens, in statue, fossil, tree and bird forms. Welcome to the Mesozoic! 🦖🦕🦤🌴
A large dinosaur peering through some trees.
November 14, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
I was reminded of Jurassic Park recently, having seen this Ficus macrophylla bursting out of a tiny pot and thriving: ‘Life, uh, finds a way’. More specifically:

*Life breaks free. It expands to new territories. It crashes through barriers….*

#GardensAndDinosaurs
Plant expanding dramatically beyond the bounds of the pot it was planted in. Large plant thriving (origins in a tiny pot not visible).
September 12, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted
zslofficial.bsky.social
🐒 Can animals learn to adapt to changing environments through changes in behaviour, rather than depending on slower genetic adaptations? Join us on 30th September to find out!
🎟️ Book your ticket to this free event now: www.zsl.org/news-and-eve...
Learning to Adapt: Animal behaviour for conservation success | The Zoological Society of London
How can a better understanding of animal behaviour support conservation action and population recovery?
www.zsl.org
September 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Tomorrows are for work. Todays are for thinking about it.

(After Elmore Leonard “The Boy Who Smiled”, 1953)

#ProcrastinationalQuotes
August 26, 2025 at 8:42 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Southern oak bush cricket
(Meconema meridionale)
on a dirty car

Beats a polecat any day.

#UKWildlife
Southern oak bush cricket (Meconema meridionale) on a dirty car
August 26, 2025 at 6:59 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Canary-shouldered thorn (Ennomos alniaria) hiding in the ivy.

#UKWildlife #TeamMoth #Moths #Insects

iPhone 13, cropped & rotated, no filters.
Colour image of a canary-shouldered thorn, which is a yellow-coloured moth, about an inch and a bit long. The moth is hanging from the underside of an ivy leaf, with its wings folded.
August 20, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
This is interesting. Not just in relation to the garden-related uprising, but also due to the fact that it was prompted in part by ‘the antient persons’ not being able to ‘walke for their pleasures’ in the common fields. Given that I too like a nice walke, I’m feeling rather antient myself, now….
August 4, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
The latest post on the blog (bit.ly/44OOU7n) looks at the engineering & heritage combo that is the Seven Mile Bridge, in the Florida Keys (actually two bridges, dating from 1912 & 1982). Striking, and scenically located, they are the subject of various designations.
Two large bridges, running in parallel over the sea.
July 18, 2025 at 9:23 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Very friendly comma, in Suffolk, yesterday.

#UKWildlife
Colour photo of a European comma butterfly resting on a man’s right hand. There is lavender in the background. The comma is a rusty orange butterfly, about 4-5 cm across, with dark brown patches on its wings.
July 19, 2025 at 6:24 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Hawthorn shield bug on the compost bin.

We can’t all snap a white-tailed sea eagle.

#UKWildlife #bugs #etymology #oops #entomology
Colour image of a hawthorn shield bug on a compost bin. The bug is bright green and shield shaped, with a copper coloured cross on its back. It’s about the size of your fingernail, but there’s no scale in the photo.
July 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
How times have changed! In this case for the better. No more chimps tea parties, but the Zoo is open daily still!

@londonzoo.bsky.social @zslofficial.bsky.social
oldukprintads.bsky.social Old UK Print Ads @oldukprintads.bsky.social · Jul 5
Jul 1966: Zoo Visit ad from London Zoo

(+Giant Tortoises; Parrots; Chimps; Pushchairs; and Bathchairs)

«Go to the Zoo!»
An advertisement for the London Zoo. It highlights the 'Tea Set' featuring chimps, giant tortoises, and parrots. It also mentions the availability of pushchairs and bathchairs. The zoo is open daily from 9 am to 7 pm. The advert also provides information on how to get to the zoo by bus, underground, and waterbus. Go to the Zoo! What'll we do? Join the Tea Set at the Zoo! Come and watch the hilarious antics of these famous chimps at their afternoon tea party. Giant Tortoises: These rarities of the reptile world weigh over 380 lb, and are said to live up to 150 years. Stop for a chat-if you can get a word in edgeways in the Parrot House; it's one of the noisiest places at the Zoo. Pushchairs and bathchairs for the very young or old are for hire at a reasonable price. There are 36 acres of gardens so this may be a wise move. Information is available at the new Bureau in the Main Garden of the Zoo. The staff will be delighted to help you. London Zoo open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. including Sundays. How to get there: By Bus: Number 3 or 53 from Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street or Oxford Street. Number 74 from Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, or Baker Street. By Underground: To Camden Town or Baker Street (then 74 bus). By Waterbus: (April to September). Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Sundays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.) on the hour. From Little Venice (plenty of parking in Delamere Terrace) Paddington. Then chug serenely along Regent's Park Canal right to the Zoo. There's always something new at London Zoo Regent's Park (Information Bureau: PRImrose 3544)
July 5, 2025 at 8:05 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
…and it’s mow! Mow! MOW!

#MurrayWalker #F1
gardenheritage.bsky.social Gardens, Heritage & Planning @gardenheritage.bsky.social · Jul 5
A replica of the Silverstone circuit has been mown into the parkland at Stowe (just beyond the Grecian Valley). The ‘track’ is apparently part of a 3-year National Trust/Silverstone project to support nature conservation and biodiversity: bit.ly/44dBe70.
Silverstone replica mown into historic Stowe Gardens
A partnership between the circuit and nearby Stowe Gardens aims to boost biodiversity.
bit.ly
July 5, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
This week’s blog post (bit.ly/44bOis4) looks at the handling of parks and gardens in the first Baedeker guide to Great Britain (1887). They aren’t covered extensively, but a few do receive the coveted Baedeker asterisk, and a good number can still be visited, happily.
A book with a red cloth cover and gold lettering reading ‘Baedeker’s Great Britain’
June 27, 2025 at 8:05 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
I wish ICE was called something else so that I could mute the word without risking missing important posts about gin and tonic.
NUMBER TWO: Don’t you want to interrogate the prisoners, sir? CAPTAIN: Dear oh dear, why on Earth should I want to do that? NUMBER TWO: Well to get information out of them sir. They are my prisoners, can’t I just interrogate them - a little bit? CAPTAIN: Oh, all right, if you must. Ask them what they want to drink. NUMBER TWO: Oh thank you sir. [Shouts] All right! You scum! You vermin! CAPTAIN: I say, steady on Number Two. NUMBER TWO: Oh very good sir. Whaddya you want to drink?! FORD: Well, uh, the gin-and-tonic sounds very nice to me. Arthur? ARTHUR: What? Oh yes.. NUMBER TWO: With ice or without? FORD: Oh, with please. NUMBER TWO: Lemon? FORD: Er, yes please. And do you have any of those little biscuits? You know the cheesy ones? NUMBER TWO: I’m asking the questions! CAPTAIN: Ye-ah… Number Two… Number Two. NUMBER TWO: Sir? CAPTAIN: Push off would you, there’s a good chap. I’m trying to have a relaxing bath.
June 24, 2025 at 5:40 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Just introduced a family of several dozen adult and baby British two-spot ladybirds 🐞 to the garden to keep the aphids company.
These ladybirds were feisty little critters, and preferred crawling on me than the shrubs. They came from GreenGardener at www.greengardener.co.uk/shop/ladybir...
Colour image showing a hand (mine) holding a small open plastic box containing a few remaining ladybirds after some had been released, and a white square of blotting paper soaked in ladybird food. Blurred in the background are some shrubs, and probably lots of aphids.
June 19, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
Peony time, and, as ever, they’re extraordinary.
June 19, 2025 at 6:51 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
New one for me: a beautiful demoiselle. That’s not my description - it’s what it’s called, apparently. But it is aptly named!

#ukwildlife #nature #wildlife #insects #entomology
Colour photo of a beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) at rest on a lilac leaf. It’s a damselfly, with a long shiny blue body and diaphanous copper-coloured wings.
June 17, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4kuz482) looks at the wonder that is the floral clock, exploring its evolution and form, and taking brief diversions into dandelion clocks and Linnaeus’ ‘Horologium Florae’.
A postcard showing the floral clock at Stanley Park, Blackpool
May 23, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Reposted
gardenheritage.bsky.social
This week’s blog post (bit.ly/4kgO0qx) looks - as politely as possible - at ‘rudeness in the garden’. It covers various trenchant views about gardens, some points of garden etiquette, rude plants, and more. All certainly rude enough to shock these poor fish.
A fountain pedestal with some stone fish looking shocked.
May 9, 2025 at 1:31 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Oooh, that's going to smart!

@zslofficial.bsky.social #InstantWild
instantwild.zsl.org/task/136348
Camera trap image showing a waterbuck with a zebra's head apparently protruding from its bottom.
April 27, 2025 at 1:21 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Hey, everyone!

Please stop posting screen grabs from Twitter. I came here to get away from that shitshow.

Thanks.
April 22, 2025 at 5:25 PM
matttherhino.bsky.social
OK, that’s it… I’m going to mute “swan”.
April 22, 2025 at 9:37 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
It’s a difficult issue, but so often the objectives of conservation and (sustainably managed) hunting go hand in hand.

Not personally a fan of shooting, except with a camera! 📸

And you can see images from Velebit on @zslofficial.bsky.social #InstantWild: instantwild.zsl.org/projects/cro...
April 22, 2025 at 9:34 AM
matttherhino.bsky.social
Oi! Bluesky! Stop showing me pictures of swans, FFS.
April 16, 2025 at 9:08 PM