Inquisitive Herring gull from France.

#gulls #birdwatching

Dilated Scalewort (Frullania dialata) showing off purple colours today in #Danbiry, Essex. On a fallen ash tree (perhaps as a result of recent winds?

#essexwildlife #essexflora #britishflora #brophytes #liverworts #scalewort

Nice Walk-rue Asplenium ruta-muraria in #Maldon from the other week between brickwork. 🌿

#ferns #britishflora #plants #essexflora #essex @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Comparison with other similar land snails in the first picture (from left to right: Cochlicopa sp., Lauria cylindracea and the related Columella aspera).

#britishsnails #molluscs #shells #snails #gastropoda #whorls #wildlife #essexwildlife

Slightly different from other posts, but here'# an immature land snail Columella edentula found the other day in private woodland. A new species for me! 🐌🌳

Here with Dilated Scalewort, Frullania dilatata. Probably the most common Essex leafy liverwort, alongside Metzgeria furcata (the Forked Veilwort, pictured alongside from a different location).

#bryophytes #liverworts #britishbryophytes #hepatics #plantsonbark

Marble Screw-moss (Syntrichia papillosa) growing abundantly on old blackthorn (?) branches. Found in the same location as the last post. 🌱

Close up inspection of the leaves clearly shows the gemmae (which are apparently baby mosses!) on the leaves.

@bbsbryology.bsky.social

#mosses #bryophytes

Single Elf Cup, a vivid red fungus

Group of elf cup fugi

Brilliant vibrant Sarcoscypha (Elf Cups) in streamside scrub from the other day. My second time ever seeing them! 🍄‍🟫🍄

@britmycolsoc.org.uk

#fungi #mushrooms #toadstools #essexfungi #essexwildlife #ascomycete #chelmsford

A mix of lichen species on a sea wall

Some more species, the paler lichen I believe to be Diploicia canescens, the other some sort of Xanthoria.

A mix of lichen species on a sea wall

A mosaic of #lichens species on the Seawall at #Maldon Promenade today! 🌱🍄‍🟫

The fiery Rusavskia elegans is in the centre

#fungi #essex #wildessex #essexwildlife

As said above I am not 100% sure on a lot of these, but they're probably in the right Genus at least.

#lichens #fungi #moss #bryophytes #britishlichens #britishmosses @bbsbryology.bsky.social , @britishlichensociety.org.uk ?

Lecanora lichen

A mix of stonework lichens

A mix of stonework lichens and moss

Syntrichia moss

Lecanora campestris and Lecidella stigmatea. Mosses included; Syntrichia montana, Ptychostomum capillare, Tortula muralis and Bryum argenteum.

A selection of lichens

A mix of lichens and moss

Candellariella lichens

A mix of mosses

A beautiful mural of lichens and mosses! On some garden ornaments composed of what I believe to be limestone. 🍄🍄‍🟫🌱

A short list of tentatively IDed species includes: Xanthoria parietina, Enchylium tenax, Candelariella medians, Candelariella aurella, Protoparmeliopsis muralis...(continued below...)

Wild strawberries (Fragaria vesca) from June 2025. Fruiting abundantly in Little Baddow Heath, close to #Danbury.

#fragaria #strawberries #wildflowers #essexwildlifetrust #nature #nativeplants #fruit #botanicalrecording #wildlife #wildliferecording

More ferns! Pinnate-leaved plants from the first two images are Black Spleenwort (Asplenium adiantum-nigrum) and the last image shows a little Hart's-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium), all of which are happy with this mild rainy weather we're getting 🌧️☔
#essex #ferns #botany #plants #maldon

Colour-printed illustration of insects on Willow catkins.

Can’t wait for it to be like this. Spring scene with insects, from ‘Brehms Tierleben’ (Leipzig, 1892). Waddleton.b.1.146 @theul.bsky.social

Cheers :) I believe it is Asaphidion curtum

Phaedon tumidulus

Donacia species (maybe simplex?)

Altica species

Otiorhynchus raucus

Aspidapion aeneum

Liparis coronatus

Amphimallon solstitiale

Onthophagus coenobita

Cetonia aurata

Saperda populnea

Rhynchites auratus

Asaphidion curtum

A gallery of some interesting beetle species from previous years I've recorded in Essex... 🪲 🌱

#essexwildlife #essexbeetles #britishbeetles #britishinsects #entomology #scarab #wildlife #coleoptera #iRecord #insects #britishbugs

Shipworm (see last repost) & other tunnelling molluscs from the Oxford Book of Invertebrates (1971)

According to www.octospora.de/species_info... spores are "21-28 x 10-11 µm", larger than many other Octospora species. @ilichenmoss2.bsky.social suggested this species on iNat due to the 'cigar-shaped spores, paraphyses curved apically'. I did not measure this specimen unfortunately.

Assorted lichen and moss on a short stick.

Assorted lichen on a tree trunk.

Lichen on a cherry tree trunk.

Assorted lichen on a tree trunk.

Good morning.

#algae #liverworts #bryophytes #eppingforest #essex #london #essexwildlife #essexplants #britishflora #microscopy

Additionally in the bog: Bog Pondweed, Potamogeton polygonifolius (first two images) and within the water the very common desmid Euastrum binale gutwinskii, identified with the 4th photo 📚. I've found it in virtually every acidic body of water I've ever looked at under the microscope. 🔬

A couple of #bryophytes from back in April 2025 in Epping forest. 🌱🌲 Abundant Sphagnum bogs with lush growth present as well as Mnium hornum (Swan's-neck Thyme-moss) and Lepidozia reptans (Creeping Fingerwort).

#lichens #bryophytes #britishmosses #moss #britishlichensociety #britishbyrologicalsociety #limestone #lime #chelmsford

A mix of mosses and lichens on a monument.

And lastly I've a mix of species; the darker green moss in the left I suspect is the Dusky Beard Moss Didymodon luridus. As for the lighter moss I am not so sure. Also there is a pretty cool lichen on the top and bottom, some sort of cyanobacterium-containing species. Blennothallia? 🌿🌱🍄

Large moss on a tombstone.

Just besides the Orthotrichum was this Syntrichia species, a type of Screw-moss which looked attractive with its large leaves and long hair points.