Background in Botany/Plant Science. Growing food. Moving towards more perennial veg.
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nprofile1qqsvddcr7f6vx9sp0gfvmyjvuyzpx3tp5jk3r8vynwgg6n49a3kljxgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsr3d6hq
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2026-07-10T13:27:36Z Event JSON
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"content": "{\"name\":\"Helena\",\"about\":\"Background in Botany/Plant Science. Growing food. Moving towards more perennial veg.\\nTrying to do what I can to live sustainably. \\nCurrently working on habitat restoration/biodiversity and community food growing.\\nPhotos by me, taken on a phone camera (unless otherwise stated)\\nLow interaction posts delete after 2 months \\nshe/her\\nAlt: header is a bush vetch flower with greenery in the background. Profile pic is a close up of a Sarracenia purpurea flower.\",\"picture\":\"https://media.mastodon.scot/accounts/avatars/109/370/382/079/375/102/original/828da1a148305b2f.jpeg\",\"banner\":\"https://media.mastodon.scot/accounts/headers/109/370/382/079/375/102/original/35a6ef4df8370d70.jpeg\",\"nip05\":\"[email protected] \",\"fields\":[]}" ,
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Last Notes npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Weird (cool) thing spotted today. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…2zx7 could it be some kind of scale bug? Presence of an ant may suggest it’s collecting sap/excess sugars (forgot the word) that the scale insects can’t use? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Another photo from the Falls of Bruar walk, there were lots and lots of lichen, on the trees, on the ground, the air must be good there. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Look, npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Glorious sunset tonight. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Huzzah! The sun came out and the crocus started to open! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena This year’s rhyme “Find nice sticks in 2026” - thanks to my granny for the year rhyme tradition. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I managed to tell another 40 odd people yesterday about the importance of peatland and why they shouldn’t buy compost unless it says peat free on it. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…9jxk I switched autocorrect off, turns out I can make my own glaring errors without it. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The firepit must have been put away wet last time someone used it. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Looking for magic now more than ever. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena One cold and frosty morning recently, I looked in a mini pond and saw that the ice had started forming into a fern like crystal on the surface of the water. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…vvev I have a small ‘domestic’ unit that we chose specifically because it uses woodchip (as we can get a supply) and so we could show/lend to others in the area to maximise use. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…vvev great stuff, do you have your own supply of wood? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…vvev are you using biochar for sequestration? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Freezing fog all day today. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…euxm I love this! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…rewd do they usually flower for you for Christmas? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…gk57 hooray for nice things! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Whoop whoop! A single gorse flower for September’s year of gorse spotting. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…args I’ve heard of climate change being referred to as a threat multiplier, which makes sense, whatever the issue, climate impacts will make it worse. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Had to borrow a camera to photo this moth I found when I was out weeding earlier. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready for the cleaner, greener solarpunk future to start now. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Is anyone making big public art installations that are intentionally made to provide homes for urban creatures? With eg Bird nesting spaces and bat boxes? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…lwgl if everyone was evacuating the same way the petrol stations would also be out of petrol, so there’s that? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Got out today and found some beautiful examples of my favorite combination- mushrooms growing in moss. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Taking the wins where I can. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…vdm6 seems like reducing car movement should be the priority, then everyone benefits npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena #SilentSunday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The Myrtle is flowering! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Seems like the wasp nest have finished for the season around us. The wasps are all wandering around, rather than industriously gathering food for the larvae. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena If you need a break, and we all do: npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Looks like an interesting new garden open at Kew npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…pqg2 npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Bumble Bee on a chive flower, I think it was having a nap. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Spotted on Sunday, an elusive gorse flower in July. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I’ve always thought there should be a recipe book called “Glut” npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Yesterday and today have been good for butterflies. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Ferns growing on an air vent at the local church. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…4xuz hope your Saturday is going ok. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…79d7 nice article, thanks for sharing. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…79d7 3 times a week is 3 times too many a week npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…79d7 absolutely yes. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Today I harvested a load of seeds -flat leaved parsley, mountain sorrel, chives, a few poppy heads, the first of the sweet cicely- for the community seed library. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena A red admiral butterfly on valerian spotted yesterday. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Poppies in the community garden not sure where these ones came from, they are mostly a different colour (brighter pink) than the ones in the rest of the garden. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I feel like I’ve had to explain the importance of nettles for caterpillars a lot lately. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena This UK petition hasn’t had much attention npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…args do you know about contacting the paper 1st author directly to ask for a copy? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…rv82 in case it helps and you want to add #alttext a possible option could be: npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Not a bad route to walk home on a Friday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…zjda iNaturalist suggested bee beetle npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The windowsill sundews are looking bright and shiny in the sunshine. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I have had a birthday calendar (No year, just a page per month with birthdays written on the dates) for many years. It is brilliant as a reminder. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…ecj5 hey, how are you doing? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I liked the angles on this top down view of a fox glove flowering stalk. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…pqg2 Maybe it is about letting people have enough stories to catalyse them into action. Or to help them see themselves in the story. A bit like the USAF funding and recruiting Top Gun. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…ednp npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…lwgl npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…lwgl npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Not sure if these ants were nectar robbing, or if they help with pollination of these sea milkwort plants. The plants were growing below the tide line so the ants must have travelled to get to them. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Climbed in a ditch to get a closer look at these water avens. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Colour for Friday. Lots of bright flowers in the sunshine. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…79d7 Beautiful! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Tiny session at one of the local community gardens yesterday - have not had much time to devote to this one lately, fortunately a few other people have been able to do some upkeep. So glad we went heavy on the perennials in the early days, so there was rhubarb and perennial leeks ready for harvest. Fruit trees and fruit bushes are coming on. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…zp6v that is lovely & your post might help explain the mysterious disappearance of a clematis I planted (there are deer in the vicinity) npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena It is fairy foxglove time again - I love the little purple patches appearing on walls and in cracks. And the lily of the valley in mum’s garden is doing it’s thing. Pretty lovelies. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…du53 a friend of mine is 4 months into buying no new clothes (they got a couple of items second hand). npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Visitor to my friend’s coat today at Tayport - a two banded long horn beetle (according to iNaturalist). It was very pretty and happy to hang around for a bit. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…gk57 sending hugs. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Forget-me-not flowers in the garden this sunny Sunday. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Thought this 7-spot ladybird had posed perfectly when I saw it today. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Moss catching the last of the sunshine last night made the stems of the spore capsules shine. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Found this tiny mining bee on the rhubarb today. It’s so cute & fuzzy. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Out harvesting wild garlic today and walking through a flowering blackthorn tunnel. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena It’s that time of year when the Chaenomeles is in flower, such a glowing colour. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…eedx you too. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…eedx the world is jangly. Balance is good to strive for. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena So is AI like the Fae? Don’t trust it to tell you the truth & don’t trust it with your true name (details). npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena If everything is falling apart & this is the end of pretending we can carry on as normal. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Minor technical error today. Realised we had some “fungus gnats” and I helped a sundew catch some.Taking a closer look, I realised it looked more like a wasp. No idea where they came from. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…eedx I’m lucky to have space at work to make different micro habitats. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Yesterday at work I added some sand onto the top of the beetle bump (like a beetle bank but smaller) in case any passing ground nesting bees are looking for a new nest location. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…vmzw beautiful! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena More lichen from Tensmuir NNR yesterday. These lichen were all on the same tree, living their best life, sheltered from the sea winds by sand dunes and with forest behind it. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Went for a walk with a friend at Tensmuir NNR and found a fantastic amount of lichen and mosses, including this impressive log decaying slowly. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…args I think a lot of craft activities fall into the same category. Cording, basket weaving, knitting. Once you start getting good you want to improve or try a new technique or see what happens when you do it in a different style. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Moss in the sunshine. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena March edition of the year of Gorse (a photo of gorse in flower every month) taken at sunset today in Fife as the orange light hit the gorse bush and changed the apparent flower colour. The close up picture focussed on the flowers changed the colours to closer to the expected yellow colour. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Flowering currant and blue sky on the way to work this morning. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Feels like the changing of the seasons. The hawthorn is starting to break into leaf. Soon it will shade out most of the lichen growing on the twigs. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Foggy morning left dew on all the spiderwebs in the grass. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…uxf3 hope my reply makes sense. Your plant is very healthy and happy npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…uxf3 cut the stem where the yellow mark is, leave the cut point to dry for a week or two then pot up in soil - not too much water initially as it will need to grow roots. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…uxf3 a photo might help? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…d0dx fantastic news. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Most of my phone photo album is made up of moss and lichen at this time of year. These were spotted last week. I am trying not to post them all (at once) npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I have a few pots and containers of sphagnum moss & was happy today to see three honey bees had found one of the pots and were using it to safely drink some water. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…79d7 that sounds like a fantastic project! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Autumn planted greenhouse salad still growing & feeding us.
