Donna Rainey

Large tortoiseshell butterfly confirmed no longer extinct in UK Early spring sightings show colourful insect is a resident species for first time in decades, says conservation charity

Large tortoiseshell butterfly confirmed no longer extinct in UK

Illegal trapping kills more than 700,000 songbirds in Cyprus in autumn 2025 More than 700,000 migratory songbirds were illegally killed in Cyprus last autumn, according to a new survey that highlights stark contrasts in enforcement and a growing link with organised crime.

An estimated 726,000 migratory songbirds were illegally trapped and killed in Cyprus during autumn 2025, according to a new report:

The ‘Toxic Cocktail’ Brewing in Pennsylvania’s Waterways - Inside Climate News Pennsylvania is still cleaning up decades’ worth of coal mining pollution. Now it must also contend with millions of tons of fracking waste, some of it radioactive.

Fracking waste has a mix of chemicals from fracking fluid + others leached from underground.

Arsenic, lead, cancer-causing benzenes, radioactive radium can all be present.

It's being dumped in Pennsylvania landfills.

Mounting evidence says it's getting into rivers:

share.google/p7PRFqzizPVZ...

B.C. Doctors Flag Alarming Health Trends Near Fracking Sites Researchers met with the city of Dawson Creek in British Columbia to share insights about how fracking in the region is affecting public health.

- Cancers
- unexplained scarring on the lungs
- impaired fetal growth
- premature birth
- heart disease

Canadian doctors warn of alarming health trends near fracking sites:

share.google/Y3bkaYqgOUfb...

Scientists discover tiny ocean fungus that kills toxic algae Scientists have discovered a newly identified marine fungus that can infect and kill toxic algae responsible for harmful blooms. The microscopic parasite, named Algophthora mediterranea, attacks algae...

Nature always has a remedy
Scientists discover tiny ocean fungus that kills toxic algae
A newly discovered marine fungus can kill toxic algae blooms, hinting at a hidden natural regulator in the ocean.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

The first lesson of war is ‘know your enemy’ – and Britain’s enemy now is Donald Trump | Simon Tisdall As the Iran disaster escalates, the US president should be seen as an enemy whose actions threaten the lawful, democratic way of life everywhere, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdal...

'The existential threat to democratic values, laws and freedoms posed by Trump, Netanyahu and authoritarian bedfellows such as Vladimir Putin is ubiquitous – and growing.'

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Half of Amazon insects could face dangerous heat stress A sweeping new study of more than 2,000 insect species reveals a troubling reality: many insects may be far less capable of coping with rising temperatures than scientists once hoped. Researchers foun...

Half of Amazon insects could face dangerous heat stress
Because insects play essential roles as pollinators, decomposers, and predators, their vulnerability could ripple through entire ecosystems.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

Me too!

Keir Starmer and David Lammy are taking an extraordinarily dangerous gamble with our individual liberty This week, MPs will vote on the second reading of the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Don’t let the anodyne name fool you – this is one of the most revolutionary pieces of legislation in our…

Labour's core voters, on which its re-election entirely depends, are crystal clear about this: they absolutely hate its illiberal, intolerant, draconian, rightwards turn. Hence the total collapse in support. So how does the government respond? #SuicideMission🤦‍♂️
thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/k...

Tehran was already on the brink of running out of water.

Now, even the rain is contaminated.

‘Toxic’ Black Rain Falls on Tehran After Oil Sites Struck Israeli air strikes targeted an oil storage facility in Tehran on Saturday night, according to reports.

-Iran's Red Crescent warns rain tainted with combusted oil could cause 'chemical burns & lung' damage

-Urges people to shelter indoors during rain

-cover doors & windows with damp cloth

-remove contaminated clothes & seal in bag

share.google/BiU5RNpkxiAB...

Marsh marigold flowering in a small stream. #wildflowerhour

Wood anemone starting to flower in the local Hazelwoods. #wildflowerhour

Toothwort on Hazel. #wildflowerhour

Marsh marigold in a small stream. #wildflowerhour

Hitting desalination plants is so bad. Not just evil but strategically incomprehensible. Without desalination 75% of the entire population of the Middle East will be refugees. Israel and Kuwait depend on desalination for 90% of their water and other Middle East states aren’t far behind.

Happy weekend Jo.

Thanks Adele.

Thanks Martin.

Thanks Jo.

Thanks Brian.

These are the Marsh fritillary butterfly caterpillars. They've made it through winter & will hopefully be gracing the meadows of Glenullin this summer.

I got sick of seeing this mess of fly tipping & littering at a local woodland. You can wait & hope someone else will sort it,,but that rarely happens. This lot now at the local council refuse centre & the woodland is looking beautiful.

Thanks for sharing Jo.

Thank you.

Thanks Claire.

Gorgeous Colt's foot in flower this week. #wildflowerhour

Cherry plum? #wildflowerhour

Hazel flowers. #wildflowerhour

This month I am going to try and post a daily, photographically illustrated, botanical term. Will start today and see how it goes 🤞🏼