Scott Shanks
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scottshanks.bsky.social
Scott Shanks
@scottshanks.bsky.social
490 followers 770 following 74 posts
Professional nature botherer💚 Planning, Peatlands, Pollinators & other wee beasties. Ecologist, Biochemist, Bog-trotter, Geek. Based in Moray, Scotland. All own views.
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scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for this week’s #Wildflowerhour.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top-left: Common Daisy, Fiddleneck, Yarrow, Red Campion. Feverfew, Common Ragwort, White Clover, Red Clover & Viper’s Bugloss.
November 9, 2025 at 8:36 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
A few #Speyside finds for this week’s #Wildflowerhour from a hike up Ben Rinnes near Aberlour.
Bonus Ptarmigans too!
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95 @rspbscotland.bsky.social
Clockwise from top-left: Common Heather, Bell Heather, Cross-leaved Heath & Cowberry (with berries too) Covey of Ptarmigan on Ben Rinnes Wee covey of Ptarmigan walked across the path in front of me- Close encounter with a covey of Ptarmigan on Ben Rinnes (blurry camera phone photo)
November 2, 2025 at 11:58 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
A few #Speyside finds for this week’s #Wildflowerhour.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top left: Red Clover, Green Alkanet, Musk Mallow, Common Fiddleneck, Creeping Thistle, Bell Heather, Cross-leaved Heath, Common Ragwort & Ivy.
October 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
A few #Speyside finds for #UKFungusDay
@britmycolsoc.org.uk @plantlifeuk.bsky.social #Moray #VC95 #mushrooms #fungi 🍄🍂🍄‍🟫🪵
October 4, 2025 at 9:35 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
The Big BRISC #Bioblitz starts today to celebrate 50yrs promoting biological recording in Scotland! Runs 22nd to 28th September.Record all animals🐦‍⬛🐸🐞, plants🌲🌿🌼, fungi🍄🍄‍🟫 etc that you find. You can take part using iNaturalist or iRecord app projects. nbn.org.uk/news/big-bri... @nbntrust.bsky.social
Advert for the BRISC (Biological Recording in Scotland) Big Bioblitz finale 22nd-28th September.
September 22, 2025 at 10:38 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for this week’s #Wildflowerhour.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from TL: Common Knapweed, Yarrow, Rosebay Willowherb, White Clover, Hedgerow Cranesbill, White Campion, Bell Heather, Cross-leaved Heath, Common Heather, Devil’s-bit Scabious & Grass of Parnassus.
September 21, 2025 at 11:02 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour
Including a few for the #seedhead challenge.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Heather, Lady’s bedstraws & Devil’s-bit Scabious. White clover, Yarrow, Hedge Bindweed, Oxeye Daisy, Common Hogweed, Angelica seedhead, Sneezewort, Common Daisy, Dandelion seedhead. Tormentil, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Common Ragwort, Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Catsear, Lady’s Bedstraws, Lesser Spearwort, Black Medic & Creeping Buttercup Creeping Thistle, Marsh woundwort, Knapweed, Heather, Red Clover, Purple Toadflax, Rosebay Willow herb, Cross-leaved Heath, Devil’s-bit Scabious.
September 7, 2025 at 8:50 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Oops a few days late! But here are a few #Speyside finds for the #Wildflowerhour #fruit challenge🍒.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95 #berries #autumn
Clockwise from top-left: Bramble, Blaeberry, Rowan, Cowberry, Bitter Sweet, Crowberry, Honeysuckle, Cranberry & Elderberries
September 2, 2025 at 8:36 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour
Including a few🌼 for the #DaisyFamily challenge.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top-left: Catsear, Common Daisy, Tansy, Oxeye Daisy, Common Ragwort, Corn Chamomile, Corn Marigold, Feverfew, Dandelion (Taraxacum sp.) Clockwise from top-left: Common Knapweed, Creeping Thistle, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Sneezewort, Melancholy Thistle, Marsh Thistle, Cornflower, Yarrow & Aster
August 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Oops! Missed Tachina grossa off the alt-text species list! Spotted quite a few of these chunky orange-faced parasitoids a few weeks ago- which strangely coincided with the visit of another bloated, orange-faced parasitoid.
Tachina grossa Tachina grossa on Devil’s-bit Scabious Tachina grossa on Corn Marigold Tachina grossa on Corn Marigold
August 10, 2025 at 9:23 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour
Including a few blooms with wee beasties for the #PollinatorPals challenge.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top-left: Corn Cockle, Self Heal, Common Knapweed, Common Daisy, Melancholy Thistle, Cornflower, Rosebay Willowherb, Ox-eye Daisy, Devil’s-bit Scabious Pollinators on Corn Marigold. clockwise from top-left: Grey-banded Mining-bee, Double-square Spot, Lasioglossum sp. Fagisyrphus cincta, Eristalis pertinax, Heliophilus pendulus, Eristalis arbustorum, Episyrphus balteatus. Four-banded Bee-grabber on Common Ragwort. Hoverfly Fagisyrphus cincta on Corn Chamomile.
August 10, 2025 at 8:17 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Happy #BogDay! Celebrating brilliant bogs and their importance for carbon sequestration, water capture & purification, gorgeous habitats, specialist biodiversity, history & culture. Find out more at bogday.org
Boggy blooms: Common Heather, Bell Heather & Cross-leaved Heath Large Heath butterfly. A peatland-specialist. Their caterpillars feel on Cotton-grasses. The lovely Tansley Bog at Loch Maree within the Beinn Eighe NNR. I visited this lovely wee bog earlier this year. Sphagnum snowflake.
July 27, 2025 at 10:10 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour
Including a few for the #DeadNettleFamily challenge.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top-left: Common Restharrow, White Campion, Marsh Woundwort, Wild Pansy, Common Storksbill, Harebells, Bifid Hemp-nettle, Field Pansy, White Dead-nettle. Clockwise from Top-left: Marsh Marigold, Meadow Vetchling, Sticky Groundsel, Lady’s Bedstraw, Common Catsear, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Lesser Spearwort, Common Ragwort, Marsh Thistle.
July 27, 2025 at 9:31 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour
Including a few Harebells💙 for the #HarebellChallenge
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from topleft: Ragged Robin, Harebell, Rosebay Willowherb, Harebells, Foxgloves, Feverfew, Eyebright, Vipers Bugloss, Bog Asphodel. Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)💙 White Harebell next to the River Spey.
July 20, 2025 at 7:58 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top-left: Bell Heather, Common Valerian, Musk Mallow, Common Goldenrod, Common Knapweed, Yarrow, Hedgerow Cranesbill, Common Ragwort & River Water-Crowfoot.
July 13, 2025 at 7:59 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Speyside finds for #Wildflowerhour.
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social #Moray #VC95
Clockwise from top-left: Zig-zag Clover, Clustered Bellflower, Rosebay Willowherb, Common Hogweed, Red Campion, Tufted Vetch, Two-flowered Everlasting-pea, Dog Rose, Bird’s-foot Trefoil. Clockwise from top-left:Creeping Buttercup, Scentless Mayweed, Greater Bird’s-foot trefoil, Fox&Cubs, Common Monkeyflower, Yarrow, Common Ragwort, Bird’s-foot Treofil, Cornflower.
July 6, 2025 at 10:40 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Some #Deeside finds for #Wildflowerhour from within the Cairngorms National Park
@cairngormsnews.bsky.social
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbiscotland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Upland Wildflowers from Braemar: clockwise from top-left: Bird’s-foot trefoil, Kidney Vetch, Mountain Pansy, Alpine Bistort, Tormentil, Alpine Lady’s-mantel, Bell Heather, Lesser Wintergreen & Wood Cranesbill.
June 29, 2025 at 9:07 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Final post for #insectweek! We have 23 species of resident #dragonflies & #damselflies (Odonata) in Scotland. Azure Hawker, Northern Damselfly & Northern Emerald only breed in Scotland within the UK. Find out more at british-dragonflies.org.uk
@britishdragonflies.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social
Male Common Hawker (Aeshna juncea). Fairly common and widespread in Scotland, but this species has undergone significant declines in England and across Europe. https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/european-red-list-of-dragonflies-and-damselflies-_de-knijf-and-al-2024.pdf Four-spot Chasers (Libellula quadrimaculata), a fairly common and widespread species across the U.K. Northern Damselfy (Coenagrion hastulatum) larva. This blue damselfly species is restricted to the Cairngorms and North-east Scotland. It’s a priority species of the British Dragonfly Society & the Cairngorms National Park. The spotting behind the head and hinge-like nodes in the caudal lamellae are key larval ID features. Northern Emerald (Somatochlora arctica) larva. This peatland specialist generally breeds in shallow bog pools and tunnels with lots of aquatic sphagnum mosses. Adults are often seen at the edge of woodlands or around scattered trees at the edge of moorland, but larvae may be found in pools quite a distance from trees.
June 29, 2025 at 8:42 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
It’s #insectweek! In the UK we have ~47 species of #Shieldbugs in the Hemiptera superfamily Pentatomoidea, (which generally have a shield-like shape). Many feed on trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers & berries, but others are predatory on beetle larvae or caterpillars.
Scottish Shiledbugs. Clockwise from top-left: Spiked Shieldbug, Hawthorn Shieldbug, Juniper Shieldbug, Parent Bug, Hairy Shieldbug, Birch Shieldbug, Heather Shieldbug, Gorse Shieldbug & Blue Shieldbug Skateboarding Shieldbug! Not every day you come across a tiny skateboard on a fence with a Hawthorn Shieldbug! The Shieldbug Fly (Phasia hemiptera), a parasitic Tachinid fly that parasitises shieldbugs. This pair photographed in Glasgow in 2023. The Blue Shieldbug/ Zircon Shieldbug (Zircona caerulea). I’ve only found this species on lowland raised bogs where it’s generally feeding on Heather Beetle larvae. Always nice to find one.
June 29, 2025 at 7:48 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Thanks Dave! The wing with the red arrow works well for Atlantoraphidia 👍🏼. The opposite forewing seems to have a reduced vein R which was the source of the confusion.
June 28, 2025 at 9:53 AM
scottshanks.bsky.social
It’s #insectweek! We have 4 #Snakefly species (Raphidoptera) in the UK, but these long-necked tree-top predators are rarely encountered. A 5th species, Raphidia ophiopsis is predicted to be found in Scotland.
I spotted this male Snakefly beneath a ScotsPine🌲 in Moray, Speyside last week. 🐍🪰
Male Snakefly found on Blaeberry beneath a Scots Pine in Moray. Wing venation seems to fit the missing 5th species🤔 These long-necked predators spend most of their lives high in tree canopies. Male Snakefly wandering across Blaeberry beneath a Scots Pine. Male Snakefly. Females have long pointed ovipositors.
June 27, 2025 at 8:53 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
It’s #insectweek! 🐝 Bees are among our most important & best-loved #pollinators. We have ~280 species in the UK including the honeybee & bumblebees which generally have a queen & workers, but the vast majority are solitary bees where females collect pollen & nectar to provision their own nests 🌸🐝
Solitary bees🐝. Clockwise from TL: Clarke’s mining-bee (Andrena clarkella), Davies Colletes (Colletes daviesanus), Marsham’s nomad cuckoo bee (Nomada marshamella), Smeathman’s furrow-bee (Lasioglossum smeathmanella), Red mason bee (Osmia bicornis), Chocolate mining-bee (Andrena scotica), Orange-tailed mining-bee (Andrena haemorrhoa), Northern sallow mining-bee (Andrena ruficrus) & In middle: Willughby’s leaf-cutter bee (Megachile willughbiella)🐝 Basking bumblebee queens 🐝: Clockwise from Top-left: Early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) & Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). Davie’s Colletes (Colletes davisanus)- females of this mid-summer species generally collect pollen from flowers of the daisy family. Domestic honeybees🐝 (Apis mellifera). Highly efficient collectors of nectar & pollen to make honey. By mid summer a large hive can number up to 70,000 workers which will go out to harvest pollen and nectar from all flowers in a wide radius around their hive. They enzymatically convert the nectar to honey which they horde for winter. High numbers of honeybees can have a negative impact on populations of small solitary bees & other pollinators which can’t travel as far and wide for food as honeybees.
June 26, 2025 at 11:03 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
It’s #Insectweek 2025!
Ladybirds🐞 are beetles of the family Coccinellidae. There are 47 species of Ladybirds in the UK, with 30 species recorded in Scotland. Many are brightly coloured, but not all of them have spots🐞
Scottish Ladybirds: clockwise from top-left: 10-spot🐞, 2-spot 🐞, Cream-spot 🐞, Kidney-spot 🐞, Harlequin 🐞, Larch 🐞, Eyed 🐞 & Orange 🐞 Scottish Ladybirds. Clockwise from top-left: 11-spot🐞, 7-spot🐞, Larch🐞, Kidney-spot 🐞, Eyed 🐞, Pine🐞, Hieroglyphic🐞, Heather🐞 & 14-spot🐞 Hieroglyphic ladybird on Cross-leaved Heath. These ladybirds are fairly common on peatlands with lots of Heather Beetle larvae. Quite a few freshly emerged Seven-spot Ladybirds this week. They are yellow & spotless when they first emerge, but quickly go red and spotty.
June 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
Hoverflies🪰 are some of our most frequent & important pollinators. We have approx 280 species in the UK. Different species utilise a wide variety of habitat niches with wildly different larval strategies from aphid predators to rot-hole filter feeders.
🌸🪰🌼🪰 #insectweek @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
Scottish hoverflies. Clockwise from top-left: Criorhina berberina, Cheilosia illustrata, Volucella bombylans, Megasyrphus erraticus, Microdon analis, Chrysotoxum arcuatum, Volucella zonaria, Chrysotoxum bicinctum & Eriozona syrphoides Scottish Hoverflies. Clockwise from top-left: Sericomyia silentis, Volucella pellucens, Myathropa florea, Helophilus pendulus, Eupeodes latifasciatus, Meliscaeva cinctella, Sphaerophoria scripta, Episyrphus balteatus & Didea fasciata. Bear Syrph (Eriozona syrphoides) White-barred Peat hoverfly (Sericomyia lappona).
June 24, 2025 at 10:10 PM
scottshanks.bsky.social
It’s #insectweek! Raising awareness about these amazing wee beasties! 🥳🦋🐞🐜🐝🪰🦗
In the UK, Scotch Burnets are only found within the #CairngormsNationalPark. The caterpillars feed on Crowberry- which is more widespread. @royentsoc.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @cairngormsnews.bsky.social
Scotch Burnet Moths. These furry day-flying montane moths have thin dark wings with 5 red spots. The thin-scaled wings quickly become worn and transparent Scotch Burnet on Cross-leaved Heath Female Scotch Burnet on Alpine Bistort Scotch Burnet on Heath Speedwell
June 23, 2025 at 10:14 PM