Background in Botany/Plant Science. Growing food. Moving towards more perennial veg.
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npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Profile Code
nprofile1qqsvddcr7f6vx9sp0gfvmyjvuyzpx3tp5jk3r8vynwgg6n49a3kljxgpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43qz9thwden5te0wfjkccte9ekk7um5wgh8qatzjfuzgf
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2026-08-17T06:07:55Z 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 #SilentSunday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena It’s starting to look a lot like autumn npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I was Future dreaming. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Got out for a quick walk between the storms. There’s still some colour in the garden. Collected some leaves for leaf mulch, not sure if there will be many left on the trees after the winds that are forecast. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena #SilentSunday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena What’s your post apocalyptic hobby/skill? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Rusty wire for texture Tuesday. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Folks with To Be Read (TBR) pile of books: npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Some rusty old fence wire making interesting shapes abandoned on a grass verge. It reminded me of a celtic knot pattern. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Sundew post (as promised to @nprofile…xm00 and @nprofile…g3c7 after a confusing few posts) npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I’m already getting excited for Gall week September 2026 npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Turns out I read Murderbot books as a comfort read much like Murderbot watches Sanctuary Moon. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…kj3y npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The climate news is not looking good. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Cute stone (brick?) with a nifty gutweed hairstyle spotted on the shoreline last week. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena #MagicInTheMundane This oily residue on the beach reflected all the colours when it seeped onto a puddle left by the receding tide. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Can we all stop using and recommending peat based composts please? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I should post this for #SolarPunkSunday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena A shiny green nettle weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus) for #WeevilWednesday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The clematis on the shed are providing a big show just now. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I don’t know if this is #MagicInTheMundane because I think plants are amazing always, but there are a lot of leaves newly unfurled just now (Northern Hemisphere) npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena It was shiny beetle day on the white dead nettles today, so shiny! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Gave away some more perennial leeks yesterday (they had set themselves in the path from dropped bulbils). npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Knitters of Mastodon: the enamel on my metal needles is wearing off at the points, any ideas about the best way to stop the ragged edges from catching the wool I’m knitting? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Weird day. Road closures on the main route made for an empty (relatively) car-less cycle to work (including a detour) npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I’m enjoying the lovely bright greens of spring. And the mushrooms are popping up. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Snail with a pretty shell npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena A harts tongue fern lives just under this old drain grate. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena I sowed courgette seeds yesterday and they are *still* not up. 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 Things like the red tipped lichen are why it takes me so long to walk anywhere, if you don’t pay attention to the little things along the way, you miss the wonder & beauty just beside the path. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Underfoot on a path the roots have been worn away, making patterns from the grain. 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 @nprofile…7f8t there is a lot of urban/residential space we could be utilising to increase biodiversity capacity. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Glorious sunset tonight. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Enjoying all the moss spore capsule stems and the way they catch the light. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The biochar will help aerate the soil, add microbiology help with water retention and make a long term store of inert carbon. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Incase anyone is interested in the Biochar burn I did the other day here’s how it worked for me (I was not sure what to expect- so feel like it might help others) npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Huzzah! The sun came out and the crocus started to open! 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 Muddy patterns found in the bottom of a plant tray. 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 @nprofile…9ney I think this will be a smaller operation than you are imagining! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Work got funding for a biochar kiln, one that works with woodchip. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Moss on a brick wall catching the late afternoon sun. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Having just discovered a new hashtag #TheWorldIsStillBeautiful I saw this piece of magic today when the freezing fog lifted for a bit and the sun tried to shine through. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Moss following the fault lines on a stone in a wall. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Freezing fog all day today. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena In the past week a colleague, who had never been very moss or lichen minded, posted a lichen photo in the work group chat. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Merry Mossmas to all who celebrate npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…euxm I love this! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…rewd do they usually flower for you for Christmas? npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…cmqc good ideas! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Odd question for the Lichen lookers npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…09qx this is the appropriate response. More countries should be behaving the same. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena A tree branch completely covered in lichens at St Andrews Botanic Gardens. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena #SilentSunday npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena More moss, lichen and a tiny snail from the St Andrews Botanics yesterday. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena St Andrews Botanics today - first visit in a long time- lots of changes. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena This pathway is not often used & has become home to a range of different mosses. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…35ec happy birthday! npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena The light was shining just right on this beech leaf to show up all the veins and connections. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena Saw an odd thing the other day. There was a rock by the side of the Firth of Forth with lichen growing on it. The lichen was getting lots of interest from wasps and some flies. npub1c6ms8un5cvtqz7sjekfyecgyzdzkrf9dzxwcfxus3482tmrdlyvsge4dvx Helena @nprofile…gk57 hooray for nice things! 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 Taking the wins where I can. 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 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 @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.
