David Elston

I tweet about the discovery and wonders of wild plants, mostly in Aberdeen City and Shire. I disagree with many statements and actions of X/Twitter's owner.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Tweet/post 777 seems a good place to transition to a read-only user.
See you there I hope,
David

The actions of he who bought twitter,
Made this once happy user feel bitter.
So I’m off to BlueSky,
Where I hope by and by,
To re-follow my old friends from Twitter.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Red campion putting on a brave face at Newton Dee, Aberdeen, yesterday.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Breaking news. After another day digging over my late Uncle-in-law's garden, the dandelion long tap-root competition has a new leader (left) way ahead of yesterday's champion (right).

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

If anybody interested in flowering plants and relatives is starting out on Bluesky and wondering how to find folk to follow, search there for #WildflowerHour.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

I've just joined Bluesky: @1davidelston.bsky.social
Hoping to find and help develop a community of field botanists and wider natural history interests there, If you fit the bill, do let me know how to find you!

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Water Bent has made it to Banchory! Currently growing outside the British Red Cross charity shop.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

@AlanGKnox @blackdogbirder @trailerbythesea @poofinder @NESMammals @Mammal_Society Wow! Was it well clear of the ground, so easy to see when nearby, or was it hidden at the base of the vegetation, hence requiring the pose in the photo to stand any chance of finding it?

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Plenty of bird's-eye primrose leaf rosettes on the flanks of Ingleborough today, and delighted to find a few flowering plants amongst them!

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Buck's-horn plantain at ca 723 m on the summit of Ingleborough, smashing the previous BSBI altitudinal limit of ca 575 m. A single plant so not an established colony, but it's certainly there for now!

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Plenty of botanical interest still on display between Johnshaven and Gourdon today: field bindweed, a scarce species in Kincardineshire, in grassland by the disused railway line; and common horsetail forming unusually large monospecific stands on the storm beach.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

@mamk_1 Shame. Seems likely you'll get other opportunities this winter.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Aurora showing well over Aberdeen tonight!

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

@Altea_Lorenzo I don't think there were any really good displays when you were here. Probably hasn't started showing again just because you've moved away!

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

@iamaryangadkari Overhead, surely visible from all of Aberdeen Scotland. Apparently over now but may start again....

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Surprised to find a healthy population of annual knawel along this track at Hill of Ardgrain, near Elllon, today. Only one other North Aberdeenshire record since the 1990s. Is one of wind turbine, forestry or arable field access the primary cause of the knawel's presence?

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

I'm intrigued by this sentence "Glen Affric is home to the highest concentration of native trees in the UK" in text supporting the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. Has anybody seen it before, and what precisely does it mean? https://t.co/jwnkTVayHD

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

@Botany2021 Common winter-cress was certainly my starting point for this. But according to the Barbarea key in Stace 4, the deep (to much more than half way) lobing of the upper leaf (top left pic) rules out common winter-cress. Short petals and fruit then leads to intermediate wintergreen.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Have just finished sorting through the TBAs from yesterday. New finds for me were medium-flowered winter-cress (pics 1&2) and shrubby osier (osier x eared willow, pics 3&4).

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Sometimes the most memorable finds on my botanical recording trips are not plants. This pile of scallop shells came as a complete surprise near Longside, North Aberdeenshire, today. Presumably left overs from the shellfish industry being put to good use by an enterprising farmer.

[David Elston @1DavidElston]

Wood small-reed has only been recorded from 4 sites in Kincardineshire, So it was satisfying to refind it on Hill of Canterland, near Marykirk. Couldn't find any in the 100 m square of the 2012 record, and had all but given up when my route took me past a small stand.