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Dr Richard Bate
@thenewgalaxy
@thenewgalaxy.bsky.social Tour leader at @Mariposa_Nature & botanist with particular interest in European #Orchids #wildflowerhour admin & BSBI member
North West England
mariposanature.com/about/tour-lea…
Joined April 2009
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Aug 13, 2024
    2024 UK - Get in there! The Ghost #Orchid (Epipogium aphyllum) is one of our rarest species, and one that doesn’t need an introduction. After 30 years of searching I’m beyond delighted to have chanced upon one @EuropeanOrchids @Mariposa_Nature @BSBIbotany #wildflowerhour
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Aug 22, 2020
    I found this coronavirus under a tree earlier - be careful there are loads of them in some places. They’re a lot bigger than I expected!
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Nov 15, 2021
    15/11/21 Cumbria - Wowee, I was lucky to see this earlier on the back lanes! A weasel (Mustela nivalis) ruthlessly takes down its larger prey and kills it - an unfortunate brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). Have up on them in Britain’s Mammals @dunnjons! @WildlifeMag @BBCSpringwatch
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    May 13, 2020
    13/5/20 County Durham - It's fair to say I got a good walk this afternoon as Spring Gentians (Gentiana verna) typically grow in remote locations. Many were closed due to the wind but a few were open - they're incredibly blue even on a dull day #wildflowerhour @EuropeanOrchids
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Feb 24, 2021
    Drove past my old house today. The back garden, full of mature shrubs, alpines, trees and an emerging grassland habitat (my own work) has been obliterated in favour of block paving. Not a hint of green remains. It had frogs, newts and all sorts thriving - now gone forever.
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Jun 12, 2022
    11/6/22 Cumbria - A real wildflower meadow with #orchids on a road verge stretching for miles No seed mixes, just favourable management Anyone with an interest in nature should take note as these ecosystems support much wildlife Click ALT on the image for more #wildflowerhour
    Northern Marsh Orchids (Dactylorhiza purpurella) growing in a species-rich sward on a road verge in Cumbria. These loosely-managed areas are some of the most accessible examples of meadows in the North of England. Not only are they fantastic for their array of colours, they’re also a reflection of the species that naturally grow in the area and they furthermore stretch for miles, acting as wildlife corridors between habitats. Such areas are fantastic habitats for our birds, butterflies and other animals - supporting from the ground up. If we want a richer wildlife, we need richer habitats; more areas such as these. There are a lot of roads and these verges represent huge areas of land that could better serve nature. Road verges are often the remnants of meadows from times gone by, and many of them preserve species that have been lost from the areas around them. With loose management, these verges can be returned to their former glory, like these ones have.
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Jul 6, 2020
    2/7/20 - How many people drive past our most biodiverse habitats without realising? This is one of many road verges in Cumbria home to thousands of #orchids, surviving fragments of the ancient meadows of which 97% have been lost since the 1930s. So many more could be like this!
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    May 28, 2020
    28/5/20 Location Undisclosed - a quiet, unspoilt and largely unknown site elsewhere on the Morecambe Pavements SAC harbours a pristine Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium calceolus) whose flower has opened fully within the last couple of days #wildflowerhour
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    May 26, 2020
    25/5/20 Cumbria - If anyone feels inspired to go looking for Moonwort #Ferns (Botrychium lunaria) then make sure you're looking extra hard for them! #wildflowerhour
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    May 15, 2023
    15/5/23 Northern England - I forced myself out this evening and it’s safe to say it was the best decision I’ve taken in ages. My daughter and I sat with this amazing Lady’s Slipper #Orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) for over an hour #wildflowerhour
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Jun 17, 2019
    16/6/19 Cumbria - I was interrupted by this marvellous beast that decided to seek refuge (crash land) on my arm while I was adoring the Moonwort. The Golden-Ringed Dragonfly is the largest British dragonfly and sadly I don't come across magnificent insects as much as I used to.
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Jun 9, 2020
    Thread - What is a wildflower meadow and why are native species important? Wildflower meadows contain flowering plants which were not sown or planted there & occur naturally. They're important because of how other species interact with them. These relationships are often complex
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Aug 13, 2018
    13/8/18 Pyrénées - My wife very kindly gave me part of the last day of our holiday to go botanising. I headed for a good patch of dark woodland with many damp gulleys and after a steep climb was delighted to come across this lone example of Epipogium aphyllum, the Ghost #Orchid.
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    Dr Richard Bate
    @thenewgalaxy
    Nov 2, 2021
    1/11/21 Cumbria - I decided to risk a nip to the finger to handle this awesome beast that crossed my path yesterday afternoon. I’ve got it down as Carabus problematicus (owing to the shape of its pronotum), a close relative of the Violet Ground Beetle.