Michael Jones
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mixaeljones.bsky.social
Michael Jones
@mixaeljones.bsky.social
190 followers 170 following 470 posts
Being amongst nature is my happy place 🙂

I love sharing nature with others through my job as Heathland Education Officer and in my free time.

Wannabe naturalist. Attempted photographer. Occasional writer. Citizen scientist.
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mixaeljones.bsky.social
A Collared Earthstar for #FungiFriday. Only the third time I’ve encountered one, so very exciting.

Possibly the trickiest alt text I’ve ever tried to write and I’m not sure I did it justice!

#DailyNature
Collared Earthstar. A brown spherical spore sack with a hole on the top sits on a light brown mound of backward curved arm-like parts. There is brown leaf litter in the foreground and background.
December 12, 2025 at 8:30 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I encountered what I think is Insect Egg Slime Mould (Leocarpus fragilis) on a heathland wander this afternoon. I must learn more about slime moulds!

#DailyNature
Bright yellow slime mould, with the fruiting bodies resembling insect eggs, on the end of a dead branch.
December 10, 2025 at 6:23 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
There’s still a little bit of purple to be found on a heathland wander!

#WildflowerHour
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
Common Heather - a plant with pink petalled flowers and dark green leaves Bell Heather - a plant with purple petalled flowers and dark green leaves
November 23, 2025 at 8:43 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Blue Fleabane on a Surrey heathland for this week’s #WildflowerHour

@bsbibotany.bsky.social
A flower with a fluffy centre and slender pale purple petals A fluffy off-white spherical seed head surrounded by three pale purple-petalled flower heads A fluffy off-white spherical seed head
November 23, 2025 at 8:39 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Since I saw a picture in a book a couple of years ago, I’ve been looking all over the place for Cobalt Crust. I finally spotted it in a neighbour’s front garden this afternoon!

What an amazing colour 💙

I wonder how many times I’ve walked past it 🍄‍🟫

#FungiFriday #FungiFriends
#DailyNature #Fungi
A vibrant blue crust fungus on a dead tree branch. The crust covers most of the branch, but there are gaps showing the bark
November 21, 2025 at 3:54 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I was quite surprised to find some Heath Speedwell flowering on a local Hampshire heathland this week!

#WildflowerHour
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
Heath Speedwell - light purple flowers on a dark green upright stem.
November 2, 2025 at 8:19 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
This Kingfisher perched on a post in front of me for about a millisecond - long enough for one mostly in-focus photo.

What an amazing bird, but a bit too whizzy for my slow reaction time!

#DailyNature #Bird #Kingfisher
Kingfisher - a bird with a blue feathered back and head and orange chest, with a long, pointed beak - perched near the top of a wooden branch. The background is a mixture of blurred greens
October 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I finally managed to find my first ever Magpie Inkcap at the wonderful Ebernoe Common in Sussex. I’ve been looking on and off for a few years, so I let out an audible “whoop” when I saw it!

#FungiFriends #FungiFriday
@britmycolsoc.org.uk #Mushroom
A large mushroom with a white-spotted brown cap and pearl-white stem to the left of the image. The out of focus background is green and there are some brown dead leaves on the ground
October 10, 2025 at 5:14 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Fencepost Jumping Spider… on a fence, but not jumping! 🕷️

@britishspiders.bsky.social
#Spider #Arachtober
A Fencepost Jumping Spider on a wooden fence looks towards the camera. It has hairy palps and the photographer can be seen reflected in the spider’s front two eyes
October 9, 2025 at 6:40 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
A beautiful Peacock #butterfly drifted past me and then paused for a precious moment on a bramble leaf. Its presence warmed me as much as the late afternoon sunshine warmed its delicate wings.

@savebutterflies.bsky.social
#DailyNature
A large, mostly dark red-winged butterfly, with an eye-spot on each wing, perched on a bramble leaf
October 3, 2025 at 5:26 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
On the second day of #Arachtober my true love sent to me… a Daddy Long-legs Spider drinking juice from two ladybirds 🐞🕷️🎶

@britishspiders.bsky.social
#Spider #Ladybird
A long-legged spider eating a ladybird. Another ladybird is suspended in a web close by
October 2, 2025 at 6:05 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
On the first day of #Arachtober my true love sent to me… a Fencepost Jumping Spider in my bathroom sink! 🕷️🚰

Not sure this adaptation of a classic festive song is going to catch on… but worth a go! 🎶

@britishspiders.bsky.social
#Spider #JumpingSpider
A small jumping spider with stripy legs and gleaming eyes stood on a white sink
October 1, 2025 at 6:44 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Fringed Water-lily on a heathland pond. I went for arty - not quite sure I pulled it off!

#WildflowerHour #DailyNature
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
A yellow-petalled flower with a slender stalk grows out of the water. The plant is reflected in the silvery water.
September 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I found this Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing #moth in the bathroom.

It challenged me to a staring competition… and won. I think not having eyelids is probably cheating!

#DailyNature
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
A close-up front on view of a moth. The moth is standing on a white pot lid A yellow-brown-coloured moth facing right, stood on a white pot lid
September 11, 2025 at 6:28 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Number 1️⃣2️⃣ for the #LadybirdYearList is this bright yellow 22-spot Ladybird munching on mildew in the garden

If I ever form a band (I won’t!) our first album would definitely be called Munching on Mildew! 💿🐞

#DailyNature #Ladybird
A yellow ladybird with lots of black spots on a dark green leaf. The leaf has patches of fluffy white mildew
September 10, 2025 at 12:17 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I spotted a Kestrel hunting worms in a field 🪱 Never seen that before!

It also showed me its fancy feathered trousers!

#DailyNature #Birds #BirdsOfPrey
#Kestrel #Worm #FoodChain
A Kestrel in a grassy field hunting worms. It has a worm in its beak and is pulling it out of the ground A front-on view of a Kestrel in a grassy field
September 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I wonder if this Small Copper was aware just how close it was to major peril! 🐝🕷️🍴

#DailyNature #Butterfly #Spider
@britishspiders.bsky.social
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
A Small Copper butterfly nectaring on Ling in the foreground. In the background and out of focus is a Wasp Spider on its web
September 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Some blackberries came out of the freezer earlier on their way into a welcoming crumble. I don’t think I’ve ever looked closely at frozen blackberries before - a beautiful collection of ice crystals.

#DailyNature
A close-up of a number of blackberries that have just come out of the freezer. The berries are covered in tiny ice crystals
September 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I almost sat on this #shieldbug earlier! I think it’s a Bronze Shieldbug final instar nymph.

#DailyNature #Pentatomidae
@britishbugs.bsky.social
A shieldbug on a wooden bench. The shieldbug’s body is round and patterned with a metallic sheen. Its legs are orange
September 4, 2025 at 7:20 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
This Crab Spider is generously offering free cuddles to passing insects. No takers so far!

#DailyNature #Heathland #Heather #CrabSpider #Spider
@britishspiders.bsky.social
A cream-white crab spider with front two pairs of legs outstretched hiding in pink-petalled heather flowers
September 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Stonechat making the most of the sunshine in the short gaps between showers ☀️☔️

#DailyNature #Heathland #Bird
A brown bird with orange-y feathers on its chest perched on top of a spiky green gorse bush
September 2, 2025 at 4:08 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
A snoozy Buff-tailed Bumblebee mulls over its plans for the day ahead. A quick gulp of #heather nectar would be the perfect start!

#DailyNature #Bumblebee #Heathland #Ling
A black bumblebee with yellow stripes and an off-white tipped abdomen perched facing upwards on a pale pink flowered heather plant
September 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
The stunning pink of a late summer #heathland landscape provides the perfect background for insect photography. This Common Blue Damselfly spent a moment resting on this Common Heather.

#Odonata #Damselfly #DailyNature
@britishdragonflies.bsky.social
A bright blue damselfly with black markings along its abdomen and thorax perched on a heather plant. The heather has dark green leaves and pale pink flowers.
August 26, 2025 at 5:49 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
Found a fab Wasp Spider on my local #heathland this morning. It was just collecting its thoughts, when a Sand Digger Wasp got stuck in the web. The speed the wasp was incapacitated and spun into a silken bundle was amazing! 🕷️🕸️

#spider #DailyNature
@britishspiders.bsky.social
Large spider with a wasp-like black and yellow abdomen and stripy legs on a web. The out of focus background is dark green and purple from gorse and heather
August 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM
mixaeljones.bsky.social
I was playing Lego with my 2-year old daughter and she said “What is this?” pointing to something tiny wandering across the floor.

On closer inspection, I think it might be an Ant-nest Ladybird.

I should get her looking for more 🐞🐞

Number 1️⃣1️⃣ for the #LadybirdYearList

@andrew-jewels.bsky.social
A small black semi-hairy ladybird with 4 red spots in a plastic collection pot A small black semi-hairy ladybird with 4 red spots in a plastic collection pot
August 22, 2025 at 4:37 PM