Nostr notes by Kimberley

Pond lining? What pond lining? Finally been able to finish the ...

2026-10-10T14:01:41Z

Pond lining? What pond lining? Finally been able to finish the pond I started way back in spring. Didn’t have enough money to fully cover the lining with pebbles (it takes soooo many pebbles!) but thanks to my sister in law’s pond getting a big tear over the summer (she’s planning on moving away next year so didn’t want to repair it) I got enough pebbles and stones to finish it. And that micro pond lily too. It’s been well visited by dragonflies, damselflies, bees, wasps, and birds.

Deborah did not appreciate being photographed #cats #caturday ...

2026-10-10T11:22:41Z

Deborah did not appreciate being photographed
#cats #caturday

Joining #totp late this evening, what are the plastic hats all ...

2026-10-09T19:55:06Z

Joining #totp late this evening, what are the plastic hats all about?

I’d love to connect with other mature PhD students to share ...

2026-10-03T20:46:24Z

I’d love to connect with other mature PhD students to share experiences. I’m 41 and just getting started researching citizen science in river health monitoring and restoration.

#PhD #AcademicChatter

It’s the first day of my PhD today! And crucially for the first ...

2026-10-01T07:13:06Z

It’s the first day of my PhD today! And crucially for the first two days of what has been promised to be lots of boring admin, we’re at least being fed.

It’s easy to feel despair at the state of the environment but I ...

2026-09-18T10:51:42Z

It’s easy to feel despair at the state of the environment but I spent yesterday in a room full of people all trying to make one
river catchment better, tackling it from different angles and coming together to share what they’re doing and learn from others and it’s made me feel really invigorated and inspired. There’s people out there taking on these essential challenges so if you’re feeling the despair too, find them and join in.

Spent a pre-PhD day with my supervisors at the local river ...

2026-09-17T16:20:24Z

Spent a pre-PhD day with my supervisors at the local river catchment network day to find out about all the different things going on to protect and improve river health, and how citizen science is already being used and can be used in the future. Also got to meet a current PhD student working with my supervisors and quiz them! Great day, now my poor brain is tired. Exactly 2 weeks until I start properly!

I already get those alerts. It actually came before any flooding ...

2026-08-27T13:28:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…azu4
_________________________

I already get those alerts. It actually came before any flooding has happened this time, last time the water was already 5 m away from the door when it came! The local group provides real time updates of where the river has breached, but it's in a closed Facebook group and their automatic moderation has decided I can't post

Currently trying to get myself added to the local FloodWatch ...

2026-08-27T10:36:57Z

Currently trying to get myself added to the local FloodWatch group. It only operates via Facebook and WhatsApp. The only way to get on the WhatsApp group is to post a message on the Facebook page. OK I have a mostly dormant account just for this kind of thing, but Facebook keeps automatically deleting my post for breaking some arbitrary rule I don't know. Please, people running local emergency response networks, don't have it operating in walled gardens where people can't easily access the info

It’s raining proper rain! Big fat drops of lovely desperately ...

2026-08-17T20:30:13Z

It’s raining proper rain! Big fat drops of lovely desperately needed rain. It’s been so long that it feels like an event worth watching, window open wide

Apparently 3 wildfires locally in the last fortnight and the ...

2026-08-16T19:50:50Z

Apparently 3 wildfires locally in the last fortnight and the government alert is not enough to deter one of my neighbours from having a garden fire to burn waste

Well after last week’s Parkrun mishap in which nobody made it ...

2026-08-15T12:37:38Z

Well after last week’s Parkrun mishap in which nobody made it to the turning point, this week I set out to marshal the turnaround again and took a tumble en route and badly cut my knee! Another marshal kindly stood in for me and a runner volunteered at last minute to fill their spot so everything was able to go ahead and the fantastic local urgent care had me patched up and on my way before the event had even finished 🙌 I made it back in time to thank everybody. Better luck next time?
#parkrun

Is that phone alert and a not-quite-ban on disposable BBQs all ...

2026-08-14T18:21:36Z

Is that phone alert and a not-quite-ban on disposable BBQs all that came out of the COBRA meeting then? That’s the whole fire strategy?
#UKpol

Interesting anti-AI policy in the automated reply I received from ...

2026-08-14T09:33:44Z

Interesting anti-AI policy in the automated reply I received from my local MP Sarah Champion

Feeling quite emotional today about the fire in the woods. I walk ...

2026-08-14T09:20:19Z

Feeling quite emotional today about the fire in the woods. I walk there everyday, but I can't bring myself to today, it was really heartbreaking seeing all that habitat destroyed yesterday. A lot of the plant records that I submit for my botany course come from there, it's on my bee walk route for recording bumblebee species. I know that place so well and it's gone, all for a stupid little BBQ. The rectangle where it was placed on the ground is clearly visible.

Thankfully the wind direction and river kept us safe. The fire ...

2026-08-13T20:43:33Z

Thankfully the wind direction and river kept us safe. The fire service got it under control and it’s out. It spread so quickly. My husband saw it when it was just a little patch and tried to put it out, and when we just saw it a large area of the riverside has been destroyed. This is an area that is usually always wet, even in summer.
Photo 4 shows the side of the wood that burned and the side behind our house separated by a path. This got scarily close.

No sign of the fire brigade which is no wonder as there’s two ...

2026-08-13T16:28:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…yp55
_________________________

No sign of the fire brigade which is no wonder as there’s two other fires in Sheffield right now.

It’s the woods behind my house. Going to prepare stuff to leave

2026-08-13T16:13:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…tuxj
_________________________

It’s the woods behind my house. Going to prepare stuff to leave

Two weeks since the last fire and again the air is filled with ...

2026-08-13T16:11:42Z

Two weeks since the last fire and again the air is filled with smoke and ash. All windows now closed and cats locked in

Another company enshittified by AI. I’ve always trusted Burda ...

2026-08-11T05:04:39Z

Another company enshittified by AI. I’ve always trusted Burda patterns because they were well designed and fit well but now they’ve started to use AI in their model images you can’t trust if the garment will look like the image. The line image suggests normal shoulder straps but in the model image they’re over her bust for some bizarre reason, and don’t appear to line up between inside and outside the shirt.

#sewing #AIslop

Just admiring my new trousers on the washing line because look at ...

2026-08-07T15:11:29Z

Just admiring my new trousers on the washing line because look at them, they're so lovely and yellow!
Pattern is Cass Pants by The Fabrics Store, fabric is linen effect cotton from Pound Fabrics. This is my 4th pair, and easily my favourite. They're so easy to sew and super comfortable to wear.

#sewing

Aftermath of the local nature reserve fire. We got lucky ...

2026-08-04T09:38:26Z

Aftermath of the local nature reserve fire. We got lucky considering how much dry grass there is here. The fire was reported quickly and was near to an easy access point for fire engines, otherwise it could have been much worse.

#SouthYorkshire #UKWildfire

Week 2 of my road being closed and the street has filled with ...

2026-07-29T14:11:22Z

Week 2 of my road being closed and the street has filled with kids on bikes. I don’t know how we came to prefer constant streams of noisy traffic over this.

Until I saw this fly come and go from this web I had no idea that ...

2026-07-19T13:31:53Z

Until I saw this fly come and go from this web I had no idea that nursery web spiders' webs are not sticky! It makes sense though as they don't use webs to catch food, they're active hunters and this web is to protect her babies rather than catch passing flies, so there's no need for a sticky web. It was just a real 'uh, I never knew that' moment for me

For the arachnophobes, this video contains no visible spiders, they've all left the nest now

#UKnature #spiders

The Great UK Waterblitz is now open for signups. I got mine ...

2026-07-16T14:28:48Z

The Great UK Waterblitz is now open for signups. I got mine earlier as I've done it previously but now anybody can sign up and it's surprisingly competitive, kits go fast! All you have to do is take some water samples from a local freshwater body, test it using the kit provided, and recording what you find. It takes about 15 mins and is a good way to get to know your local rivers and lakes better.

https://earthwatch.org.uk/greatukwaterblitz

#CitizenScience

First time seeing ants mating. Apologies for shaky video, they ...

2026-07-09T18:22:04Z

First time seeing ants mating. Apologies for shaky video, they move around a lot! Just after the video ends she shook him off and they went their separate ways

#UKnature #entomology #ants

One of my regular hedgehog visitors has developed these patches ...

2026-06-23T21:51:20Z

One of my regular hedgehog visitors has developed these patches of white quills that seem more densely packed and maybe a bit crusty than the others. Any hedgehog knowledgeable people know what it might be? They’re a bit hard to see in these photos.
I’m also sending a photo to a local hedgehog rescue place

#hedgehog #UKnature

I’ve come to regret my laissez-faire approach to my raspberry ...

2026-06-12T18:00:00Z

I’ve come to regret my laissez-faire approach to my raspberry patch. It’s become more of a raspberry thicket. This winter I’ll definitely get it under control (I said that last year too…)
#gardening #GrowYourOwn

I don’t recommend these pattern weights, they make cutting out ...

2026-06-11T13:33:36Z

I don’t recommend these pattern weights, they make cutting out very difficult

#sewing

Current and former PhD students - is there a question you wish ...

2026-06-02T08:47:03Z

Current and former PhD students - is there a question you wish you'd asked your PhD supervisory team before starting?

#PhD #Academia

Is this a Symmorphus bifasciatus? Seems to be the best match ...

2026-05-30T17:11:10Z

Is this a Symmorphus bifasciatus? Seems to be the best match looking at BWARS based on markings and location (South Yorkshire) but I’m not knowledgeable on wasps.

#wasps #hymenoptera #insects

Who wants to see some peregrine chicks? 🙋‍♀️ The ...

2026-04-28T13:54:18Z

Who wants to see some peregrine chicks? 🙋‍♀️

The Sheffield peregrines have hatched 4 chicks and you can see their live nest feed here: https://digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk/media/Peregrine+Nest+Camera/1_7i0g32tu

#birds

Did anybody else do the EarthWatch FreshWaterWatch this weekend? ...

2026-04-26T17:33:41Z

Did anybody else do the EarthWatch FreshWaterWatch this weekend? I collected samples from the River Rother which runs near my house. It was very high for nitrates this year. Not far upstream of this site is a sewage waste treatment works and there's lots of farm land too.

#FreshWaterWatch #River

Pond is looking more pond-like and less like a big plastic sheet ...

2026-04-19T18:59:03Z

Pond is looking more pond-like and less like a big plastic sheet now. And I used an off-cut of the liner to make a mini pebble pond in an old trough in the back yard by the house.
#pond

https://ecoevo.social/@Kimberley/116385511516564089

After a busy few weeks I’ve finally made some time to think ...

2026-04-13T16:23:46Z

After a busy few weeks I’ve finally made some time to think about a better way to do the wildlife friendly gardening resource. The map has developed an issue and it didn’t get submissions anyway. I think it needs to be more of a personal approach maybe rather than ask people to create a post on an unknown website. Suggestions and ideas welcome!

https://ecoevo.social/@Kimberley/115950853073250766

quoting
note1y25…ulj0

I keep returning to an idea for a blog series speaking to regular everyday people who do some form of wildlife friendly gardening to create a repository of ideas that others can turn to.

If you do any form of wildlife-friendly gardening (no matter how small) is it something you would be interested in being involved in (photos and text, no video and can be under a pseudonym)?

If you are a person who would like to do wildlife-friendly gardening, is it a resource that would help you?
#gardening

Received my official offer letter for a fully funded PhD. When I ...

2026-04-11T09:03:09Z

Received my official offer letter for a fully funded PhD. When I received the verbal offer after the interview I was told it would take a while for the official offer but that did not stop me checking my email every day and convincing myself I'd imagined the whole thing!

Had a lovely chat with my neighbour out in the garden. He ...

2026-04-05T10:03:16Z

Had a lovely chat with my neighbour out in the garden. He struggles to grow fruit and lost all his raspberries, I lack the patience for annual veg seed starting but my perennial fruit plants are very abundant so he offered to share his veg in exchange for some fruit. Between us we've got a good harvest covered. I like that rather than all of us trying to grow bits of everything.

Also traded some raspberry cuttings for well rotted horse manure from another neighbour.

#gardening #GrowYourOwn

Doing something that set the whole room murmuring when Alys ...

2026-04-03T15:49:27Z

Doing something that set the whole room murmuring when Alys Fowler suggested it at her recent talk on going peat-free: sowing seeds in my own garden soil. This is top soil removed while digging out my pond and sieved to remove stones

#gardening #peatFree

Can anybody recommend a cat feeding bowl that slows down fast ...

2026-03-20T19:37:30Z

Can anybody recommend a cat feeding bowl that slows down fast eaters? Available in the UK and not from Amazon please. Please only suggest only those you have actually tried and had success with.
#cats

Last year I thought I saw a newt larvae at the brownfield site ...

2026-03-19T21:36:19Z

Last year I thought I saw a newt larvae at the brownfield site near where I live but I wasn’t confident in my ID but tonight we finally saw some adults in the same location! They haven’t been recorded here before so of course I’ll submit my record.

#newts #UKNature #UKwildlife

Finding a lot of these little hibernating buddies in my garden at ...

2026-03-15T13:11:14Z

Finding a lot of these little hibernating buddies in my garden at the moment. I just put whatever they’re hiding under back and work elsewhere. They’re ruby tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) caterpillars I believe

#gardening #wildlifeGarden

Alys Fowler will be giving a talk on peat bogs and the need for ...

2026-03-14T08:39:32Z

Alys Fowler will be giving a talk on peat bogs and the need for going peat-free in our gardens on 25th March in Sheffield. Hoping they'll also have copies of their book for sale too.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talking-plants-tickets-1985103535111

#Sheffield #PeatFree #GardeningUK

Elderly next door neighbours had some people in to do the garden. ...

2026-03-13T12:52:35Z

Elderly next door neighbours had some people in to do the garden. One of them looked like it was their first ever time handling loppers because he kept stopping and staring at the blades and just randomly chopped at the shrubs while another was haphazardly slopping paint on the fence. Next time I went outside after they'd left neighbour's daughter was on the phone giving them an earful about what a terrible state they've left the garden in.

Don't trust random "gardeners" you find on Facebook!

Got a dog in the UK? Aren't squeamish about looking at its ...

2026-03-08T16:20:57Z

Got a dog in the UK? Aren't squeamish about looking at its poop? Want to help scientists to understand how anti-parasite treatments on pets affect insects? Register for citizen science project Pet Waste Watch https://www.thebuzzclub.uk/pet-waste-watch

#citizenScience

Sat on the edge of my pond hole (not a euphemism) drinking coffee ...

2026-03-02T15:16:15Z

Sat on the edge of my pond hole (not a euphemism) drinking coffee while being serenaded by birds. I’ve been visited by two plump bumblebee queens and the ranunculus corms I planted are coming through.
#UKSpring

Sorting through seeds today. Looks like I won’t have to buy ...

2026-03-01T13:54:18Z

Sorting through seeds today. Looks like I won’t have to buy any. I’ve got more saved seed than I remember squirrelling away. There’s a vague system in this chaos. On left is flowers which I’ll be planting, middle is edible annuals that I’ll possibly sow, right is edible annuals to give away. I only do herbs, salad, and fruit as edibles these days, no veg except peas. Peas always make the cut though, thats one of my favourite summer garden snacks.

#gardening #Seeds

Database of Insects and their Food Plants ...

2026-02-27T16:13:37Z

Database of Insects and their Food Plants https://dbif.brc.ac.uk/homepage.aspx

This resource lets you search for specific insects (maybe those local to your area) and what plants they need as food sources, or you can search for specific plants and see what insects they attract

I'm thinking of digging out a pond in my garden. I have a ...

2026-02-25T18:52:19Z

I'm thinking of digging out a pond in my garden. I have a high clay content soil and a high water table, and really want to avoid a plastic liner if possible. A little worried that I'll put all the efforts in and then it won't hold water, although even if the really hot dry summer my garden soil still held moisture. Any tips on creating natural ponds? I don't have the budget for bentonite clay lining.

Trying to repair the timing on this old sewing machine but my ...

2026-02-24T15:28:38Z

Trying to repair the timing on this old sewing machine but my very unhelpful assistant is sleeping on the job (he occasionally wakes up to grumble at me for having the audacity to work on his sleeping desk)

#cats #sewing #repair

Studying the BSBI Identiplant course. I'm not sure I'll ...

2026-02-23T17:16:37Z

Studying the BSBI Identiplant course. I'm not sure I'll ever remember all the terminology for describing plants' appearance. Glad I bought a plant glossary last year, it's coming in very useful!
#Botany

Can anybody recommend a good online pharmacist in the UK that ...

2026-02-07T12:39:51Z

Can anybody recommend a good online pharmacist in the UK that works well with repeat prescriptions?

I was with Lloyds Direct for ages which worked well but they stopped offering the service and the one they recommended switching to (Pharmacy2U) keeps having issues with my prescriptions being received and I have to email them to prompt them every time.

I do have a local village pharmacy but they're tiny so order most things in and don't offer tracking so I never know when it's ready.

If my ID is correct these are my first time finding birds egg ...

2026-01-31T11:32:08Z

If my ID is correct these are my first time finding birds egg fungus (Crucibulum laeve). And in my very own garden. They’re smaller than photos I’ve seen led me to believe (maybe 5 mm diameter)

#Fungi

I have some time today so I'm starting work on the wildlife ...

2026-01-29T12:09:29Z

I have some time today so I'm starting work on the wildlife gardening blog. I'm thinking guided self-submission posts which can be checked over before posting, a map (fuzzy of course, we don't want to be showing exactly where everybody lives!). Undecided whether I should start off by restricting it to UK where I live or open it up more widely (lots of people from other countries, especially USA and Australia expressed an interest in contributing)

https://ecoevo.social/@Kimberley/115950853073250766

Thanks for sharing those. I had a quick glance & it looks ...

2026-01-24T16:29:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…pjq9
_________________________

Thanks for sharing those. I had a quick glance & it looks like some great resources, I'll check it out properly. :)

I keep returning to an idea for a blog series speaking to regular ...

2026-01-24T15:46:48Z

I keep returning to an idea for a blog series speaking to regular everyday people who do some form of wildlife friendly gardening to create a repository of ideas that others can turn to.

If you do any form of wildlife-friendly gardening (no matter how small) is it something you would be interested in being involved in (photos and text, no video and can be under a pseudonym)?

If you are a person who would like to do wildlife-friendly gardening, is it a resource that would help you?
#gardening

Capturing Ecology 2025 photography prize winners. ...

2026-01-22T14:30:01Z

Capturing Ecology 2025 photography prize winners. https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/capturing-ecology-2025/?dm_i=7RJK,2H9SJ,41WLIX,5971Q,1,0,0,0

Image 'Wallace's Flying Frog' : Jamal Kabir

I didn't know I needed to see a digital exhibition of the ...

2026-01-18T13:11:55Z

I didn't know I needed to see a digital exhibition of the history of cats in science and literature but then I saw this picture and knew that it is exactly what I need right now
https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1BcWRvZti77GiGPyAyTCCjzyss-ig58MLKJO7v9I7NS4&font=Rufina-Sintony&lang=en&initial_zoom=2&height=900
#cats

From old bathtub to wormery. The bricks and bits of old paving ...

2026-01-13T10:45:27Z

From old bathtub to wormery. The bricks and bits of old paving are holding down a fine mesh screen in a vain attempt to keep the rats out. The plug hole is blocked up with a piece of paving and a large pebble beneath it leaving no gaps.

This replaces my last large wormery made from a garden storage chest left by the previous owners. It gave a couple of years of use but fell apart. Hopefully this will be a bit more sturdy!

#Compost #Wormery #Upcycling

Basically my main goal for this year is to own my content and ...

2026-01-03T17:29:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…m25c
_________________________

Basically my main goal for this year is to own my content and place it on my own websites and share it rather than just post to other people's platforms. I've been meaning to do it for a while but I have some time on my hands right now so making it happen. I've had a domain and wordpress blog specifically for my more nature/wildlife gardening content for months and now setting it up so I'll have a fedi account up and running for that soon. I'll keep this account as a backup

Just spent ages trying to figure out why my latest ...

2026-01-03T17:19:54Z

Just spent ages trying to figure out why my latest Thanks I made it (npub16zc…xfes) post hadn't federated only to discover I wrote it on the wrong blog!

Happy start of the New Year Plant Hunt to all who plant hunt! ...

2026-01-01T09:39:24Z

Happy start of the New Year Plant Hunt to all who plant hunt! I’ll have my eyes on the ground looking for flowers on this morning’s walk.

https://bsbi.org/take-part/activities/new-year-plant-hunt

The blue tones of my cat’s fur in the bright sunshine #cats ...

2025-12-31T11:57:32Z

The blue tones of my cat’s fur in the bright sunshine
#cats

A little upcycling project to procrastinate this afternoon: used ...

2025-12-30T14:39:05Z

A little upcycling project to procrastinate this afternoon: used a thick plastic Roasting House Coffee (npub12vl…nta9) GrainPro sack and the zip from an old coat to make a see them pouch to store my sewing clips. #sewing #upcycling #craft

Another one submitted today. This was my second choice but the ...

2025-12-29T20:27:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…zs0w
_________________________

Another one submitted today. This was my second choice but the application came together so easily, once I started writing it out it became clear I’m a better fit for it and it for me than I’d initially realised. This one is pure plant science whereas the other is a mix of ecology and social science.

US gardeners: are Master Gardeners people that anybody can ask ...

2025-12-29T10:36:43Z

US gardeners: are Master Gardeners people that anybody can ask for advice? Is it a paid for service? How do you find your local master gardener?

Similarly extension offices: can just an ordinary citizen ask for growing advice?

We don't have that here in the UK AFAIK so I'm very curious about it.

On today's walk I saw hazel catkins and a few willow leaf ...

2025-12-28T14:04:11Z

On today's walk I saw hazel catkins and a few willow leaf bursts, with even the soft grey of willow flower starting to peek through. It is still December, right?

I have now officially applied for a PhD! Just the one so far. ...

2025-12-27T15:12:15Z

I have now officially applied for a PhD! Just the one so far. This is the only one that ticks all my boxes. I've got some others on the shortlist that I might also apply for but part of me is thinking that I'll just leave it at the one this time around.

There's another that would be fantastic but the supervisor has had a lot of interest and I don't have lab experience so I think it'd be a long shot. If I don't get accepted I plan to do an entomology masters next year to broaden my options.

Replaced a broken hook on a bra and the zip on a fleece jacket so ...

2025-12-25T16:30:13Z

Replaced a broken hook on a bra and the zip on a fleece jacket so I’m declaring today #Fixmas
Happy fixmas to all who celebrate
#JoinIn

Found this future oak tree on my walk. Put it in a pot in my ...

2025-12-20T16:05:57Z

Found this future oak tree on my walk. Put it in a pot in my garden and hopefully if it survives it’ll fill in the gap in the hedge at the far end of the garden one day.

Found a patch of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) hiding at the ...

2025-12-13T14:57:12Z

Found a patch of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) hiding at the far end of my garden so what was going to be a mulching session in the garden turned in to a pulling up hemlock session instead.

Also found a mole hill, had no idea there were moles visiting my garden! I know they're not popular with everybody but I don't grow much that they can destroy.

Also got told off by a robin that was perched next to the empty feeding station so of course I dutifully topped it up

#GardeningUK

I’m obsessed with this teasel “forest” near my house. ...

2025-12-07T17:00:42Z

I’m obsessed with this teasel “forest” near my house. It’s so beautiful and is often filled with birds

WTF is going on at World of Books? I've seen mismatched ...

2025-12-04T13:47:47Z

WTF is going on at World of Books? I've seen mismatched descriptions before but this is unhinged. Have they let AI loose on it?

Currently researching wildlife gardening barriers and ...

2025-12-03T14:08:34Z

Currently researching wildlife gardening barriers and interventions and one of the suggestions made in a study was for gardening buddies who could pair up with wildlife gardening novices which I thought was a really good idea. Would you be interested in this either as a volunteer or as somebody benefitting from the service? (or have you been involved in something similar?)

#WildlifeGardening #Gardening

After all this rain from storm Claudia it’s unsurprising to see ...

2025-11-14T21:45:25Z

After all this rain from storm Claudia it’s unsurprising to see we’re under amber flood alert with rising river levels here in the Rother valley. Looks like the river has already breached upstream in Chesterfield. Not heard anything on preparedness from the flood wardens but assuming that’s because like the rest of the council they only communicate via Facebook

I intended to spend today reducing my longlist of potential PhD ...

2025-11-14T14:34:29Z

I intended to spend today reducing my longlist of potential PhD projects down to a shortlist to write applications for. Instead I've added 3 more to the list 🤦‍♀️
I am mostly looking for entomology and rewilding related projects, but these new additions are flood wildcards. I blame the rain

If you're a fan of Sheffield's gorgeous Grey to Green, ...

2025-11-10T16:47:49Z

If you're a fan of Sheffield's gorgeous Grey to Green, London's Barbican Estate or the Tower of London superbloom you may be interested in Nigel Dunnett's talk on urban public gardens next Monday in Sheffield. In person only, no live stream or recording afaik unfortunately
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talking-plants-tickets-1966353833248

#Sheffield #Horticulture #Ecology

Yorkshire Environmental Sciences DTN funded PhD projects for ...

2025-10-29T13:27:45Z

Yorkshire Environmental Sciences DTN funded PhD projects for 2026. They're open to international students too, not just Yorkshire folk
#PhD #Academia

https://yes-dtn.ac.uk/research/

Well there you go, I'm officially out the other side of my ...

2025-10-27T11:05:39Z

Well there you go, I'm officially out the other side of my environmental science degree. A little disappointed not to get a distinction with the final project because I worked really hard on it but it was challenging and I don't think I could have done much more. I was only 5 marks off though which makes it extra frustrating! Regardless I've got enough credits for a first class on my degree which will be confirmed in the next few days.

That’s the Hallowe’en decorations sorted #cats ...

2025-10-25T09:06:50Z

That’s the Hallowe’en decorations sorted

#cats

I am cats. #cats ...

2025-10-24T19:40:38Z

I am cats.

#cats

This leaf fell from a tree then floated down, landing neatly ...

2025-10-18T13:21:57Z

This leaf fell from a tree then floated down, landing neatly inside my shirt pocket, a little keepsake to remind me of the lovely bike ride by the canal

Another load of woodchip arrived, and now I think I have reached ...

2025-10-11T07:33:04Z

Another load of woodchip arrived, and now I think I have reached the point of too much woodchip. Today I'll start the process of moving it from one giant pile to another so we can move the car back to the parking space. Hopefully in the process some neighbours and I can do each other a favour by them taking some off my hands!

BTW for those in the UK patiently waiting for woodchip I tried ...

2025-10-09T12:33:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…dx0f
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BTW for those in the UK patiently waiting for woodchip I tried ChipDrop and got nothing but I've had several loads from ArbTalk.

Nostr event nevent1qqsv353204xgcvxpgrxgvfxq5k6ard72eslrx2we7ccvqjw7a0ys62czypggff3k7u3njg5tq86mhj2v5qelt5qzgl7p8lxmtez8t0kdq20dqk4zdxu

2025-10-09T12:23:06Z

Unexpected drop of free woodchip is always a nice surprise

When your doctor is a woman of a similar age to you and some of ...

2025-10-08T08:56:49Z

When your doctor is a woman of a similar age to you and some of your appointment is spent enjoying her rant about the lack of research in to women's health and perimenopause

#perimenopause

But on a positive note this river (The River Rother between ...

2025-09-19T10:26:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…jzsj
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But on a positive note this river (The River Rother between Sheffield and Rotherham) was previously considered ecologically dead and was the worst in Europe 40 years ago when mining and a coking works was here. So poor ecological status is an upgrade.

I've been out sampling water from the local river this ...

2025-09-19T10:24:48Z

I've been out sampling water from the local river this morning for the EarthWatch Great UK WaterBlitz. My results indicate poor ecological status which isn't really surprising considering how often sewage gets dumped in to it from the sewage works upstream.

Details on WaterBlitz here. Registrations for this sampling event are closed but you can register interest for spring sampling. It's very quick and easy to do.
https://www.freshwaterwatch.org/pages/great-uk-waterblitz-results

#WaterBlitz #Rivers #CitizenScience

Do you want to become a trainee lichenoligist for the National ...

2025-09-16T13:03:43Z

Do you want to become a trainee lichenoligist for the National Trust for Scotland? https://www.asva.co.uk/jobs/trainee-lichenologist/

#Lichen LichenSubscribe

When I took my old boy to the vet last week I saw a poster for a ...

2025-09-02T18:54:17Z

When I took my old boy to the vet last week I saw a poster for a cat that had been missing since May after escaping from a van during a house move, and because apparently I have a photographic memory for cats I remembered exactly where I petted that particularly kitty and text the location to the number. Turns out he was still hanging around that area and 4 months later they have him back. Feeling very happy for that cat and glad my need to say hello to every single kitty came in useful!

Free self-paced Introduction to Rewilding course created by ...

2025-08-28T15:21:23Z

Free self-paced Introduction to Rewilding course created by Rewilding Europe

https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/index.php?categoryid=1655

#Rewilding #Conservation

Well who do we have hiding in this little hole in my fence? ...

2025-08-21T18:09:45Z

Well who do we have hiding in this little hole in my fence?

Submitted! Yesterday I was stressing that I only had a week but ...

2025-08-21T15:30:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…tthu
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Submitted! Yesterday I was stressing that I only had a week but in the end once I'd figured out the missing piece it came together quite quickly and I'm pretty satisfied that I can't do anything more substantial.

No results until end of October so now I have to find a way to distract myself from thinking about it for the next 2 months.

So now I'm done with being a student again (until next time 🥴 )

#botany #plantScience

6 months work in physical form ready for proof reading (minus the ...

2025-08-20T12:25:50Z

6 months work in physical form ready for proof reading (minus the cover page because I ran out of paper!). I feel like there's something lacking in my discussion but I've reached the stage where I just can't look at it on a screen anymore. T-minus 7 days til deadline

Looks like my local lake has bladderwort this year which I ...

2025-08-18T14:58:49Z

Looks like my local lake has bladderwort this year which I haven't seen there before. I didn't have my camera to take any photos or wellys to get in and get a close enough look to ID to species but next time I go out I will. According to the South Yorkshire flora it has only been observed in a small number of sites locally and not for quite a while. It's a first time for me seeing it in the wild. There's something very intriguing about carniverous plants!

#Botany #SouthYorkshire #Plants

Cats knew that computers would lead to our downfall from the ...

2025-08-16T14:20:43Z

Cats knew that computers would lead to our downfall from the start and tried to warn us. They sat on the keyboards so we couldn't talk to the machine, they whacked the mouse out of our hands, they sat on PC base units to jam up the equipment with their shed fur. But we didn't listen and now here we are, wondering if the computers are going to destroy everything. Cats know computers can't open doors and cans of food for them otherwise I don't think they'd care so much.

#Caturday #cats

Top view. Somebody took a look at this moth and said oh yes, that ...

2025-08-09T18:55:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…zj04
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Top view. Somebody took a look at this moth and said oh yes, that looks like a dingy footman. How rude

#Moth #Entomology

Oh hello, don't mind me just hanging out here. Eilema ...

2025-08-09T18:53:59Z

Oh hello, don't mind me just hanging out here.
Eilema griseola

#Moth #Entomology

Spouse found an old lady hiding in the shed (Mormo maura). Not ...

2025-08-09T10:36:56Z

Spouse found an old lady hiding in the shed (Mormo maura). Not long after I took this photo it decided to try to hide in my hair
#moth #entomology

Found a mysterious big bag of bramley apples next to my car. I ...

2025-08-08T19:09:52Z

Found a mysterious big bag of bramley apples next to my car. I know it's one of my neighbours, just not which one I need to thank for the stealth apple drop

#NeighbourEconomy

Viburnum opulus (guelder rose) on a bright late summer morning. ...

2025-08-08T12:29:36Z

Viburnum opulus (guelder rose) on a bright late summer morning. The season is on the turn.