First Nature

Life-long active conservationist. Advert-free online wildlife/ecology/nature sites/flyfishing; Books on wildflowers/orchids/river-based thrillers, short stories

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝕾𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘✍
𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 is launched today. 17 tales of suspense &terror plus 6 dark poems. Hope for reviews on Amazon. Readers' recommendations really matter https://t.co/x3T7c5K6fQ

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

Very excited. Tomorrow 1st June my new book of suspense and horror short stories and dark poems becomes available - Kindle e-book and paperback- on Amazon. https://t.co/x3T7c5K6fQ
I hope you will like Whispers from the Darkest Shadows.
Hoping for some good reviews. Shivers, Pat

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔
About those dark poems (taking up about 10% of Pat's new book (review copes free on request); the other 90% are short stories)... here's an example - title: BELIEVE ME

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

Pat's New Book launches on 1st June...
Details: https://t.co/Fv5F5A37xl

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

Roundheads Arrive in Force
Rare most years, Redlead Roundhead fungi are widespread park mulch, North Wales Nov 2025. There are also Cavaliers, BTW - search Roundhead, Cavalier on https://t.co/edOdGzo4bZ to see them too. Pls help keep First Nature freely online.

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧
We found a fairy ring of 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢 (known as Grisettes) on a woodland edge.

Visitors to https://t.co/edOdGzoC1x are reporting great finds this season in or beside wooded areas. Such a joy to find these!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

Something REALLY free of charge
From 7pm Wed 26 March 2025 for 5days, get a FREE ebook copy of Pat O'Reilly's novel Dead Drift (the first volume of a trilogy of thrillers: https://t.co/xvPKk6Q5FR Royalties from the trilogy go to fund environmental education. Reviews please!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

@donaldtusk At last...a Donald T we can love!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐝
Almost buried by autumn leaves, these Trooping Funnel mushrooms 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘢 were the only mushrooms on our two-mile walk in woodland and parkland in North Wales, 14 Nov. Not a great fungi year!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲
On the sawn end a long-dead Spruce trunk, tiers of bracket fungi sparkle in the late-autumn sunshine. Nice find in a difficult year for fungi. Conifer Bracket 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮 isn't always such a bright orange colour. #fungi

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝
In November sand dunes sparkle with waxcap fungi. We found these Waisted Waxcaps, quite a rarity, in North Wales. Huge spores (average 11.8 x 7 microns), some slightly constricted (with waists!) https://t.co/Y8ufQQoHpi Lovely!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

The lovely fluffy Little Grebe (Dabchick) was foraging in the margins of a large lagoon lagoon at RSPB Conwy on 1st Nov. Super site for birds, dragonflies, damselflies and lots more. Great for family activities too.
More details/pictures of Little Grebes: https://t.co/2Yw1Jh5moh

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝑰𝑺 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑
Common on sand dunes, tiny earthtongue 𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑚 is easily overlooked. Superficially ugly maybe, but seen via a microscope (crucial for ID of earthtongues) its 7-septate spores are beautifully intricate.

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑴𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝑴𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔
Wandered for miles on moorland forest tracks and found no notable fungi. Then, on a grassy bank beside an area of old conifer stumps, we found these Liberty Caps, 𝘗𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘢. One photo, then left them for others to enjoy.

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍
It's great to know that the seal cows and their pups at Angel Bay (eastern flank of Little Orme between Llandudno and Colwyn Bay) had excellent shelter from the weekend's storms. Saw five pups on our recent visit. Watching from cliffs is such a joy!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒅 𝑺𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆
In a clear felled part of Bellever Forest, Devon, 𝐺𝑢𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑎 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠 (Salmon Salad), a jelly fungus https://t.co/25t7v0wKBO
An uncommon but very welcome find at a time when most other fungi are unseasonably scarce.

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑻𝒂𝒊𝒍 𝑬𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈
Welcomed home by a lovely slow worm (aka Slowworm) 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑠. Its fragile tail was probably shed as a decoy; it would go on wriggling, distracting a predator while the reptile escapes. https://t.co/qqgpzL8onJ for de𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔.

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𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒏 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝑶𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒔
Aberffraw Dunes, on Anglesey. After the rain full sun helps these Parasol Mushrooms show off their finery https://t.co/0xZaNBd3kX
Waxcaps, pinkgills, fairy clubs, puffballs - lots more fungi to enjoy there!

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

𝑨 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒕 𝑶𝒇 𝑩𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓
Fly Agaric 𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎 has white spots on its cap... usually, but not always. Grey Spotted Amanita 𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑎 var. 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑎, more reliably spotted, can be patchy. Both have a '𝑗𝑖𝑧𝑧' that helps with ID.

[First Nature @FirstNature1]

@smurfett722 @pam_mcinnes @s4r4h_l @lancsgp @chrishindle My best bet is the same as Simon's: Lurid Boletes and possibly Rooting Bolete. Extra tricky without seeing pores/stems clearly. A bit squat for typical Birch Boletes but there are no rules - or if there are mushrooms often ignore them!