@mixaeljones
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.
A Dartford Warbler perched on top of a Scots Pine tree
It’s only March and this Dartford Warbler is already auditioning for Christmas cards!
#DailyNature #Birds
#Heathland
A Blue Tit stares directly at the photographer whilst perched on a dark red-brown tree branch
Earlier, this Blue Tit gave me a “Don’t you dare take my photo and post it as a #DailyNature” look!
Sorry Blue Tit! 🙂
Yes, but not often and never on a heathland before. They’re always a lot smaller than I remember. I should get 25 children to spot wildlife for me more often!
A black ladybird with red spots on a white and brown Silver Birch trunk
I was out for a heathland walk with a school group earlier and after we’d spotted lots of 7-spot Ladybirds, one of the children saw this fab little Heather Ladybird 🐞 Top nature detectives!
#UKLadybirds #Ladybird
#DailyNature
A Goldfinch on an old plant stem with seed heads still remaining. The bird has a bright red face with white and black behind. The back and chest are a peachy brown and the wings are black with white spots and a patch of vivid yellow
This Goldfinch was in my garden earlier, feasting on the Evening Primrose seeds from last year. It demonstrates the benefits of not cutting the old plants back too early.
#DailyNature #Bird
#WildlifeGardening
An Early Bumblebee on gorse. The bee is fluffy with a black head and alternating black and yellow bands on its thorax and abdomen. The tail is a pale orange. The gorse flowers are bright yellow and the spiky leaves are dark green.
Just a little bit of sun was enough to bring out the bumblebees on my local heath! ☀️ 🐝 This Early Bumblebee queen (Bombus pratorum) is showing the value of Gorse for nectar at this time of year.
It’s great to have #DailyNature back to celebrate the impending arrival of spring! 🌼
A dark green-stemmed mushroom with a white-gilled, green-topped cap. There is light green feathery moss all around
A dark green-stemmed mushroom with a white-gilled, green-topped cap. There is light green feathery moss all around
I was taking a school group around their local heathland and one of the children spotted this striking mushroom. I think it’s Verdigris Navel, which seems to be seldomly spotted. Can anyone confirm and I’ll let the school know they’ve got a champ nature spotter! 🍄🟫
#FungiFriday #FungiFriends
Two translucent white jelly-like fungi fruiting bodies on a dark brown angled stick. The background is a lime green carpet of out of focus moss
My first encounter with the wonderfully named Crystal Brain Fungus! 🧠 🍄🟫
#Fungi #FungiFriday #FungiFriends
A small olive-brown bird on a dark green leaved plant with white flowers
A small olive-brown bird perched on a bare branch. There are some larger branches in the foreground
A small olive-brown bird on bare tree branch. The sky behind is blue
This Chiffchaff was enjoying the sunny weather yesterday at WWT Arundel. It was so uplifting to be out underneath blue skies! ☀️
#UKbirds #bird
A vibrant blue crust fungus on a wooden fence post. The crust covers most of the wood, but there are gaps showing the pale coloured wood below
I found the brilliantly blue Cobalt Crust for only the second time this afternoon. I was leading a nature walk on a local heathland and audibly squeaked with excitement when I saw it! 🍄🟫💙
#FungiFriends #FungiFriday
#Heathland #Fungi
An Ear-pick Fungus on a pine cone covered in feathery green moss. There is out of focus moss in the foreground
An Ear-pick Fungus growing at 45 degrees out of a moss-covered pine cone. The underside of the mushroom’s cap is made up of many white spines. The stem is brown
Looking closely at nature always reveals something wonderful - Like this mini-ecosystem on a pine cone!
It’s always exciting to find the wonderfully-named Ear-pick Fungus 🍄🟫
#FungiFriends #FungiFriday
#Mycology #Fungi
A black ladybird with red spots on a white stone surface with green lichen.
It feels like a slow start to my
2026 #LadybirdYearList! 🐞
2️⃣ Heather Ladybird (Chilocorus bipustulatus) in a nearby churchyard.
It was in such an awkward place for a photo on the underside of a gravestone - but well protected from the seemingly incessant rain. Good job! ☔️
#UKLadybirds
A dark-feathered Shag swims on the surface of the water with a small spotty fish in its yellow bill. The fish is open-mouthed
By the look on the face of the fish (a Blenny, I think), this Shag has caused significant annoyance!
#BirdOfTheDay
#FeedingTime
#TitchfieldHaven
Hello. That sounds great! Will email you shortly 🙂
A small brown bird with streaked chest and red patch on its head in a tree. The background is a red brick wall
A small brown bird with streaked chest and red patch on its head in a tree. The background is snowy
For the past couple of days there has been a Redpoll hanging around in the Silver Birch in the garden. It’s lovely to look out the window and see it going about its business. Its business is mostly eating!
I feel like we’re really getting to know each other 😊
Hello. Of course, that would be brilliant. Her name is Ezri - she doesn’t deliver parcels! 😉
A red ladybird with black spots hibernating in an old gorse seed pod. The pod is open and the ladybird is resting upside-down and headfirst inside
Up and running with my 2026
#LadybirdYearList! 🐞
1️⃣ 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) on my local heathland.
What a great place for an over-winter snooze!
#UKLadybirds
A girl in a green and white striped bobble hat, dark blue hooded coat and pink waterproof trousers looking at tiny hazel tree flowers with a wooden magnifying glass
A dark pink hazel flower, resembling an anemone, grows out of a green bud at the end of a brown branch. Pale yellow hazel catkins are out of focus in the background.
A chilly #NewYearPlantHunt with the family! ❄️ 🌼
It’s my daughter’s 3rd year of joining in and she enjoyed taking a close look at tiny hazel flowers with her magnifying glass 🔍 🌸
We found 19 species in flower and a bonus Blackcap eating Mistletoe berries. Great fun!
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
#DailyNature - Whoops! One last admin error before the year’s out!
A close up of a spider web. The silk strands are adorned with ice
Just managed to sneak a final #DailyNatire in before the end of the year! Frosty spiderweb on my local heathland. I’m so glad it’s properly wintry now ❄️
@britishspiders.bsky.social
A bright yellow gorse flower with a black background. The flower is dotted with water droplets and there are dark green spiky leaves underneath.
Gorse flowers always add a beautiful glow to a winter #heathland walk. I was particularly taken by the delicate water droplets on the petals here.
#Wildflowerhour #DailyNature @bsbibotany.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
Red Admiral - a black butterfly with white and orange markings on the wings, perched on spiky green gorse. Some of the gorse spikes are dead and light brown.
I had to do a double-take when I saw this Red Admiral sunbathing this afternoon! It’s always uplifting to spot a #butterfly, and this was a lovely December surprise.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
#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.
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
Bright yellow slime mould, with the fruiting bodies resembling insect eggs, on the end of a dead branch.
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
Common Heather - a plant with pink petalled flowers and dark green leaves
Bell Heather - a plant with purple petalled flowers and dark green leaves
There’s still a little bit of purple to be found on a heathland wander!
#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
Blue Fleabane on a Surrey heathland for this week’s #WildflowerHour
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
A vibrant blue crust fungus on a dead tree branch. The crust covers most of the branch, but there are gaps showing the bark
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
Heath Speedwell - light purple flowers on a dark green upright stem.
I was quite surprised to find some Heath Speedwell flowering on a local Hampshire heathland this week!
#WildflowerHour
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
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
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
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
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