Debbie Alston
@debbie1alston.bsky.social
Early retired ecologist, nature enthusiast and conservation volunteer now living in Sussex. Botany, butterflies, birds and mammals mostly. Monty Python and Michael Palin fan.
Shaggy soldier seen in flower this week in East Sussex #wildflowerhour
November 30, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Shaggy soldier seen in flower this week in East Sussex #wildflowerhour
Winter heliotrope in flower this week in East Sussex #wildflowerhour
November 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Winter heliotrope in flower this week in East Sussex #wildflowerhour
Volunteering with @Sussex @savebutterflies.bsky.social at their reserve at Rowland Wood. Making an anti dog fence around the pond from brash. Shouldn't need to, but sadly many visitors do not keep their dogs out of the pond which is important for amphibians, dragonflies and wildfowl.
November 30, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Volunteering with @Sussex @savebutterflies.bsky.social at their reserve at Rowland Wood. Making an anti dog fence around the pond from brash. Shouldn't need to, but sadly many visitors do not keep their dogs out of the pond which is important for amphibians, dragonflies and wildfowl.
Volunteering with the Sussex @savebutterflies.bsky.social reserve group today. We have opened up a significant area of Park Corner Heath today at the back of the site. Hopefully lots of violets to come up in the spring.
November 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Volunteering with the Sussex @savebutterflies.bsky.social reserve group today. We have opened up a significant area of Park Corner Heath today at the back of the site. Hopefully lots of violets to come up in the spring.
Lovely sunny day out with the @southdownsnp.bsky.social volunteers on Whitbread Hollow, Beachy Head today. Clearing scrub to help the ponies a cess more grassland to graze.
November 20, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Lovely sunny day out with the @southdownsnp.bsky.social volunteers on Whitbread Hollow, Beachy Head today. Clearing scrub to help the ponies a cess more grassland to graze.
A white or very light coloured Clustered bellflower seen today on #EastbourneDownland. #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
November 16, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A white or very light coloured Clustered bellflower seen today on #EastbourneDownland. #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Wild Basil and Wild Thyme both still in flower this week on the #EastbourneDownland #wildflowerhour
November 16, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Wild Basil and Wild Thyme both still in flower this week on the #EastbourneDownland #wildflowerhour
Field scabious still in flower this week on the #EastbourneDownland #wildflowerhour
November 16, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Field scabious still in flower this week on the #EastbourneDownland #wildflowerhour
Selfheal still in flower this week in East Sussex #wildflowerhour
November 16, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Selfheal still in flower this week in East Sussex #wildflowerhour
Burnet-saxifrage still in flower this week on the #EastbourneDownland. #wildflowerhour
November 16, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Burnet-saxifrage still in flower this week on the #EastbourneDownland. #wildflowerhour
Stone parsley still in flower in Hastings this week #wildflowerhour
November 16, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Stone parsley still in flower in Hastings this week #wildflowerhour
Vermilion and Snowy waxcaps seen at Belle Toute, East Sussex today @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #waxcaps
November 16, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Vermilion and Snowy waxcaps seen at Belle Toute, East Sussex today @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #waxcaps
Had a walk on the beach at Birling gap this afternoon. No Biobeads found ( thankfully), but it also made me look at wildlife I hadn't recorded before -seaweed and egg cases. It is good to get out of your comfort zone occasionally 😊 @strandliners.bsky.social
November 16, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Had a walk on the beach at Birling gap this afternoon. No Biobeads found ( thankfully), but it also made me look at wildlife I hadn't recorded before -seaweed and egg cases. It is good to get out of your comfort zone occasionally 😊 @strandliners.bsky.social
Our first visit to Charleston Reedbed today with @sussexornitholo.bsky.social to clear blackthorn scrub from the Reedbed. A warm day and we saw a Red Admiral plus a darter dragonfly which took a liking to Dave's head!
November 15, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Our first visit to Charleston Reedbed today with @sussexornitholo.bsky.social to clear blackthorn scrub from the Reedbed. A warm day and we saw a Red Admiral plus a darter dragonfly which took a liking to Dave's head!
Volunteering today with the @southdownsnp.bsky.social at Arlington Reservoir. We were creating a woven hazel fence to encourage people to keep to the path to the bird hide and out of dormouse areas
November 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Volunteering today with the @southdownsnp.bsky.social at Arlington Reservoir. We were creating a woven hazel fence to encourage people to keep to the path to the bird hide and out of dormouse areas
Out with Alex the #EastbourneDownland officer this morning clearing scrub to open up grazing in the chalk grassland at Shooters Bottom
November 12, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Out with Alex the #EastbourneDownland officer this morning clearing scrub to open up grazing in the chalk grassland at Shooters Bottom
Greater knapweed still in flower this week in the @southdownsnp.bsky.social #wildflowerhour
November 9, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Greater knapweed still in flower this week in the @southdownsnp.bsky.social #wildflowerhour
Clustered bellflower still in flower on Eastbourne Downs, East Sussex this week. #wildflowerhour
November 9, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Clustered bellflower still in flower on Eastbourne Downs, East Sussex this week. #wildflowerhour
Burnet rose still in flower this week on Eastbourne Downs, East Sussex #wildflowerhour
November 9, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Burnet rose still in flower this week on Eastbourne Downs, East Sussex #wildflowerhour
A great @savebutterflies.bsky.social work party at Park Corner Heath, East Sussex today. A significant amount of habitat managed at the rear of the heathland #volunteerpower
November 9, 2025 at 4:52 PM
A great @savebutterflies.bsky.social work party at Park Corner Heath, East Sussex today. A significant amount of habitat managed at the rear of the heathland #volunteerpower
Reposted by Debbie Alston
New #GBRedList for vascular plants is out now as a special issue of #BritishandIrishBotany, the @bsbibotany.bsky.social's Open Access scientific journal: britishandirishbotany.org/index.php/bi...
Also available (cost £10) as an eBook: bsbi.org/publications...
Press release: bsbi.org/wp-content/u...
Also available (cost £10) as an eBook: bsbi.org/publications...
Press release: bsbi.org/wp-content/u...
November 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM
New #GBRedList for vascular plants is out now as a special issue of #BritishandIrishBotany, the @bsbibotany.bsky.social's Open Access scientific journal: britishandirishbotany.org/index.php/bi...
Also available (cost £10) as an eBook: bsbi.org/publications...
Press release: bsbi.org/wp-content/u...
Also available (cost £10) as an eBook: bsbi.org/publications...
Press release: bsbi.org/wp-content/u...
Scrub removal below Belle Toute near Eastbourne today to manage the chalk grassland with the #EastbourneDownland ranger Alex and @southdownsnp.bsky.social volunteers
November 5, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Scrub removal below Belle Toute near Eastbourne today to manage the chalk grassland with the #EastbourneDownland ranger Alex and @southdownsnp.bsky.social volunteers
Out scrub clearing with the @southdownsnp.bsky.social volunteers today at Blackstone Down - before and after photos!
October 30, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Out scrub clearing with the @southdownsnp.bsky.social volunteers today at Blackstone Down - before and after photos!