Today's #NewYearPlantHunt over just 2ha of StMartinsVineyard yielded 30 species in flower - sharp-leaved fluellen and musk storksbill were two of my favourite finds! BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

Scilly is missing so many mainland mammals - no deer, foxes, badgers, hares, stoats or grey squirrels. The latter absence is one of the reasons why red squirrels were introduced to Tresco in 2012/3 - this individual is one of the established population in the Abbey Gardens!

Absolutely stunning photo of these little treasures!

First solitary bee of the year for me here on StMartinsVineyard - taking shelter from the showers in a daffodil flower

So many spring wildflower have popped up on StMartinsVineyard this week including musk stork's bill, dove's foot cranesbill and sticky mouseear #wildflowerhour

Incredible to see the #aurora from StMartinsVineyard on St Martin’s tonight, off the southwest coast in #Scilly! This is an hour’s timelapse - they were visible to the naked eye but the colours picked up on the camera were truly spectacular! #northernlights #AuroraBorealis

More photos of the #aurora from St Martin’s, Scilly last night - the first taken at the iconic Daymark, the north coast of the island, and the last right here on StMartinsVineyard #scilly #AuroraBorealis

The leafcutter bees on StMartinsVineyard this year have a flair for interior design - snipping sections of pink geranium petals to line their nest cells along with the usual circles of rose leaf #leafcutter #solitarybee

So many good podcasts by The New York Times but infuriating to be bombarded by greenwashing bullshit from bp - you should really take a page of the The Guardian in refusing to indulge these companies. They are literally advertising their intention to destroy a liveable planet.

Nacreous clouds dissipating at the end of the day - they've been displaying all afternoon back in the midlands! #nacreousclouds

Magical to see Pi (the humpback whale) resting just off the coast of St Mary’s, Scilly yesterday

A painted lady butterfly fluttering along the coastal path on St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly this afternoon - certainly the earliest in the year I’ve ever seen one!

First solitary bee of the year for me - foraging on lesser celandine in the sunshine here on St Martin’s Vineyard!

A lovely fresh speckled wood in the sunshine on St Martin’s vineyard, Isles of Scilly

Faint aurora visible from St Martin’s #Scilly last night - thanks to Hannahbella Nel for sharing info about the Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc you can see reaching across the image - read more here! blog.aurorasaurus.org/?p=2030&s=07&f… #ukaurora #Aurora #aurorauk

Keep your eyes peeled in #Scilly too! 🪲 There are two records from the Islands (specifically Tresco Island) from decades ago. It is likely they arrived on driftwood & aren't resident; but, who knows?! Join the Search for the Strandline Beetle 👇 @scillybirds St Martin’s Ecologist

The first time I’ve seen this behaviour - a mining bee concentrating on aphids (presumable for honeydew) repeatedly flying between the aggregations rather than the flowers on this common vetch #solitarybee #miningbee

Stunning display of aurora right down here in Scilly off the southwest coast #aurora #northernlights

A 2h timelapse of the aurora dancing behind the clouds from the Isles of Scilly - the most southwesterly spot in the UK! #aurora #aurorauk