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Big Meadow Search

@bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social

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UK project to raise awareness and interest in plants, highlighting species interactions (plants and inverts, galls, fungi etc) & encouraging plant recording during the Big Meadow Search (1st June-31st Aug). All welcome #nature #plants bigmeadowsearch.co.uk

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 18h

The Botanical Society of Scotland’s plant of the week: Sweet Chestnut

botsoc.scot/2025/10/12/c...

Castanea sativa – October 13th 2025 – Sweet Chestnut (also called Spanish Chestnut)

Now is the time to gather nuts

botsoc.scot

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 1d

Bramble associated species: Food plant for the micro moth Stigmella aurella. Leaf mines very common. Mines are long and serpentine and can cross veins and the mid rib. One part of the mine typically has broad line of frass (distinguishing it from S. splendidissimella).

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 1d

For #wildflowerhour it’s Pineappleweed, Matricaria discoidea. Pineapple scented when crushed. Much-branched, up to 35cm. Bristle tipped, yellowish-green leaflet lobes. Solitary discoid heads on short stalks, up to 8mm across. No ray florets.

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Reposted by Big Meadow Search

BSBI Botany @bsbibotany.bsky.social · 3d

Want to up your #WildFlowerID game this winter?
We just launched our Winter Webinar programme!
7-8pm, every Tuesday from 4 Nov - 10 Feb.
Thanks to funding from @daera-ni.gov.uk, these 10 great plant ID webinars are FREE for all of you to attend!
Programme & booking links: bsbi.org/botanical-sk...

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 2d

Bramble associated species: Peppered Moth, Biston betularia. Wing length up to 28mm. Flies early May to late August. Wide range of larval food plants including Bramble, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, birches, limes, sallows, oaks, Broom, Goldenrod, Beech and roses. Common across UK & Eire

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 2d

Bramble associated species: Broom Moth, Ceramica pisi. Wing length up to 20mm. Flies late May to July. Larval foodplants include Bramble, Broom, Heather, Bracken, Sea-buckthorn, larches and sallows. Common across GB and Ireland.

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 3d

Bramble associated species: Green Arches, Anaplectoides prasina. Wing length up to 25mm. Flies June to July. Larvae feed on a variety of shrubs and herbaceous plants including Bramble, Bilberry, Honeysuckle, Primrose, docks. Common across most of Britain

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 3d

Bramble associated species: Buff Arches, Habrosyne pyritoides. Up to 20mm. Flies late June to early August. Larval food plants are Bramble and Dewberry. Common in England, Ireland and Wales. Scarce in Scotland

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 3d

Bramble associated species: Peach Blossom, Thyatira batis. Flies late May to late July. Larval foodplant is Bramble. Common across the UK

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 3d

Bramble, Rubus fruticosus agg: you have no doubt heard the slogan ‘A dog isn’t just for Christmas’ well I think we need a new slogan……..
I shall be making a series of posts highlighting a variety of species associated with it.

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 3d

Black Nightshade, Solanum nigrum. Up to 70cm. Leaves up to 5cm long and variably toothed. White flowers with blunt sepals. Shiny black mature berries.

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 5d

I’m lucky enough to get them nesting in my boxes here in Carmarthenshire. Beautiful

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 7d

Me too. Impressive and beautiful

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 8d

Botanical Society of Scotland’s Plant of the Week: Adder’s Tongue

botsoc.scot/2025/10/05/o...

Ophioglossum vulgatum – October 6th 2025 – Adder’s Tongue

A quirky and ancient fern

botsoc.scot

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 8d

For #wildflowerhour it is Trailing St.John’s-wort, Hypericum humifusum from me.
Sprawling. Leaves to 10mm, oblong-oval with dark glands along edges. Bright yellow flowers to 12mm. Sepals slightly shorter than petals & unequal in size. Petals & sepals have black glands on margins

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 11d

Great to see the gall causer for a change. They seem to have been VERY busy this year. Thanks for posting

Reposted by Big Meadow Search

Sarah Lambert @sarahlambert7.bsky.social · 12d

The Fenland Flora - Survival against the odds webinar

17 November 1-2pm

Join renowned botanist Owen Mountford, co-author of the soon to be published Fenland Flora, to find out about the fascinating history and present status of wild plants in Fenland.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fenlan...

The Fenland Flora: Survival against the odds

Expert field botanist Owen Mountford will provide an overview of the Fenland Flora project, surveying the entire Fenland since about 2005

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 13d

botsoc.scot/2025/09/28/h...

botsoc.scot

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 15d

A selection of September bloomers for #wildflowerhour

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 15d

Wavy Hair-grass, Avenella flexuosa. Photos taken at same place, 3 months apart, July (left) & September (right).

Up to 80cm. Tufted. Dark, smooth, bristle-like leaves. Blunt ligules, 0.5-3mm. Loose, open panicles, up to 15cm long. Crinkled branches. 2-flowered spikelets.

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 18d

I didn’t realise this wasn’t common up north so thanks for enlightening me. Your post made me look at the BSBI atlas

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 19d

Water-lily ID tip

Alex Prendergast @bramblebotanist.bsky.social · 19d

Marginal veins of Nymphaea alba (left) and Nymphaea candida (right) for comparison.. Veins of candida join to form closed loops, those of alba end at the leaf edge. Of course there’s a hybrid too, which is common where they meet.

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 19d

Interesting thread on Wild Strawberry and its associated species

Lin Hawthorne @haggewoods.bsky.social · Jun 17

Fragaria vesca, Wild Strawberry, Invert Associates
Native of woods, scrub & hedgerow, embankments & road verges, an important element of the ground flora. It supports 51 species of invert as a larval host, of which 14 are Coleoptera, 30 Lepidoptera.
📷 CAM Lindman, Bilder ur Nordens Flora
🌱

Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 20d

Camouflage 2: Grey/Dark Dagger, Acronicta psi/tridens. Wide range of larval food plants including Hawthorn and Blackthorn

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Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social · 20d

Glad it was timely and useful. Have you seen this too? bsbi.org/wp-content/u...

bsbi.org

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