Ben Averis

@averisben.bsky.social

1450 Followers 769 Following

Botany, bryology, lichens, habitat classification, ecology, biodiversity (http://www.benandalisonaveris.co.uk/), art (http://www.benaverisart.co.uk/), music, poetry... Lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.

Photo of oaks near Ullapool, Scotland on 7th July 2026
Marbled Coronet, found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian on 24th June 2026. An inland record of a species that in Scotland is mainly coastal.
Bog Bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) and the moss Antitrichia curtipendula growing together in the NW Scottish Highlands on 12th June 2026.
Mother Shipton moth found and photographed by Alison Averis in Wester Ross, Scotland, on 10th June 2026.
Fantastic colours of Sphagnum mosses and reflected sky in a bog pool in Perthshire, Scotland, this afternoon.
Bog vegetation with abundant Hare's-tail Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) on a steep slope in Perthshire, Scotland on 27th May 2026.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) with many leaves dead and blackened. West Lothian, Scotland, on 6th March 2026.
A train ticket with a smiley face drawn on it by the ticket inspector just now. Happy days!
The moss Grimmia pulvinata on a Rowan trunk at Kinross service station, Scotland, on 3rd May 2026.
Nut-tree Tussock moth found by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on the night of 1st May 2026.
Home-made raised bed, made on 19th April 2026 in Scotland.
An illuminated skyscraper in Barcelona on 11th April 2026.
Japanese onigiri bought from a shop in Barcelona on 11th April 2026.
Two Cattle Egrets in a park in the middle of the city of Barcelona on 9th April 2026. The birds were surprisingly tame.
Shoulder Stripe moth found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on 8th April 2026.
A street view in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in October 2018.
A cheese sandwich in the making. Location: Scotland (kitchen table). Date: 28th March 2026. Materials: bread + butter + cheese + knife. Background: wood (breadboard).
Common Quaker found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on 27th March 2026.
Screenshot of -97C in Antarctica on 26 March 2026, from Ventusky weather forecast app.
Oak trunk with good extent of the lichen Ricasolia amplissima in front of rocks with luxuriant Umbilicus rupestris (Navelwort) in Argyll, Scotland, on 19th March 2026.
Plastic water bottles and a corkscrew!
St James Quarter, Edinburgh, on 10th March 2026.
Lichen Tortrix (Acleris literana) also known as 'Mini Merv', found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, SE Scotland, on 9th March 2026.
The tiny yellow-green liverwort Colura calyptrifolia on a Downy Birch trunk in woodland in East Lothian, Scotland, on 8th March 2026.
Gorton and Denton The win by the Greens is great, and it means the political tide could change nationwide for a system that’s fair, run by people who care, who aim for the day of sustainable way, who are not in the game of material gain for the privileged few (corrupt through and through) A Manchester district has made realistic our vision: a light that is now within sight
Hebrew Character (moth) found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on 25th February 2026.
Sycamore in East Lothian, Scotland. Epiphytes include the uncommon moss Antitrichia curtipendula. 1st February 2026.
Soft Rush (Juncus effusus) with a blue tinge. Lammermuir Hills, SE Scotland, on 19th January 2026.
Believing Trump to be a gentle, kind and caring man of peace is on a par with stuff as mental as the thought that flocks of geese have manufactured concertinas since before the start of time, or every one of Palestrina’s compositions was a sign predicting that the price of tea from supermarkets far and wide would correlate with how the sea goes up and down with every tide Everybody has some tools to process what they see and hear, to understand, to not be fools, so best to get them into gear
Creeping Soft-grass (Holcus mollis): tufts of young (autumn-winter) green leaves sprouting from the upper parts of last year's shoots among darker, browner Heather on the Lammermuir Hills, SE Scotland. 18-01-2026.
Hull and Gull The colour of the liquid is the bloodiest red, so we’re thankful and relieved that no-one’s dead It’s simply the reflection of a painted hull, and swimming in the middle is an Iceland Gull Painted hull, Iceland Gull Lerwick Harbour’s far from dull Far, far further from the Isle of Mull or the Somerset town by the name of Trull There’s an Irish Schull and a Kansas Stull Spain’s got a Brull, the Dutch have a Thull There’s a guy in the states whose surname’s Null! Time for a break; a quiet little lull We sure did stray quite some way from the Shetland harbour’s hull and gull
Heath in the Lammermuir Hills, SE Scotland. Seven Bullfinches here just now, on the afternoon of 15th January 2026.
Pale Brindled Beauty (moth) found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on 13th January 2026.
Fiddling with the filters A sherry or two on a day of rain That’s our cue to play this game of editing an image on a mobile phone Fiddle with the filter, with the hue and the tone Dandelion. Turn it red? Option 2: blue instead Red or blue? Which for you? Choosing on a whim, or a point of view? We’re getting colour critical, over-analytical or just a bit political What’ll we do? Dice says red Now for bed
A poem about Trump: He’s a billionaire, so he’s gotta lotta money and his hair is fair, but he ain’t no honey He’s a criminal, a liar, whose insatiable desire is for power, from a tower, so the minions cower and obey his every word, no matter how absurd He’s vulgar, cheap He’s a lecherous creep He’s loathsome, lewd He’s tacky, he’s crude, like a filthy slime He’s a philistine, whose intellect is a minus sign His tabloid prose appeals to those facilitating his dictating, lavishing praise on the ravaging ways of the bullying lout who cheats, who flouts the word of the law, who steals from the poor, who’s favourite public speaking theme is “I’m the best there’s ever been” He arrogantly stands in denial and defiance of the value and significance of nature, science, culture, art, people with a heart It’s a shameless sham and he doesn’t give a damn He’s like a lava flow spreading layers of corruption, an intrusively insidious felonious eruption He’s a boastful, bloated, tangerine-coated, overly promoted, self-devoted, sex-offending, system-rigging, nation-wrecking, finance-fiddling, racist-ranting, bandit-backing, oil-owning- state-attacking, sense-and-sense-of- humour-lacking, fizzy-drink-and- fast-food-snacking tool of trite, greed and spite, who has no sight of good or right Officials with a lot of clout could block his domination Sad to see them bottle out in limp capitulation But when the revolution’s risen, and the people have their say, and put that monster in a prison, where the walls are thick and grey, (this is if he hasn’t died; just noting that as a wee aside), behind the bars is where he’ll stay, and we will shout a big “Hooray!” So take him away It’ll make our day The whole regime His evil team Don’t delay Just take them away Gotta clear this ground for a better kind of way
Cowslip (Primula veris) in our garden in East Lothian today. This plant has been in flower for at least five weeks.
Betula ermanii at about 600 m altitude at Horoka Tomamu Montane Forest, Hokkaido, Japan, in October 2018.
Two of a total of 17 December Moths found by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on the night of 26-27 November 2025. Photo: Alison Averis.
Old oak near Welshpool, Powys, Wales. Drawn in coloured pencil in 2010 from a photo taken at least a decade earlier. Drawing size = A4 (21 x 30 cm).
Cowslip (Primula veris) in flower in East Lothian, Scotland, on 17th November 2025.
Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) growing on the trunk of a palm tree in Barcelona, Spain, on 11th November 2025.
A December Moth found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on 5th November 2025.
Crichton Castle, Midlothian, on 25th October 2025.
Toilets room in the National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh.
Feathered Thorn found and photographed by Alison Averis in East Lothian, Scotland, on 21st October 2025.
Hallglen, Falkirk, Scotland. 59 x 42 cm coloured pencil drawing by Ben Averis (2014).
Grey Shoulder-knot. East Lothian, Scotland. 13th October 2025. Found and photographed by Alison Averis.
Five Merveille du Jour moths found by Alison Averis in her moth trap here in SE Scotland on the morning of 14th October 2025. Background: bark with lichens.
World distribution of Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). Source: https://www.picturethisai.com/wiki/Pteridium_aquilinum.html
Long Island City, Queens, New York, looking east from 1st Avenue (somewhere near the intersection with E 39th Street) in eastern Manhattan. Drawn in coloured pencil in 2015, based on a photo taken in 2014. Drawing size: 21 x 30 cm.
Ain’t no Honey He’s gotta lotta money but he ain’t no honey He’s a criminal, a liar, whose insatiable desire is for power, from a tower, so the minions cower and obey his every word, no matter how absurd He’s vulgar, cheap He’s a lecherous creep He’s loathsome, lewd He’s tacky, he’s crude He’s a philistine, a pantomime, whose intellect is a minus sign His tabloid prose appeals to those facilitating his dictating, lavishing praise on the ravaging ways of the bullying lout who cheats, who flouts the word of the law, who steals from the poor, who arrogantly stands in denial and defiance of the value and significance of nature, science, culture, art, people with a heart It’s a shameless sham and he doesn’t give a damn He’s like a lava flow spreading layers of corruption, an intrusively insidious, felonious eruption He’s a boastful, bloated, tangerine-coated, overly promoted, self-devoted, puerile, juvenile, hideous-hairstyle tool of trite, greed and spite, who has no sight of good or right Officials with a lot of clout could block his domination Sad to see them bottle out in limp capitulation But when the revolution’s risen, and the people have their say, and put that monster in a prison, where the walls are thick and grey, (this is if he hasn’t died; just noting that as a wee aside), behind the bars is where he’ll stay, and we will shout a big “Hooray!” So take him away It’ll make our day The whole regime His evil team Yes, take them away Don’t delay Gotta clear this ground for a better kind of way
The moss Ptilium cristacastrensis in a conifer plantation in lowlands Angus, eastern Scotland on 9th September 2025.
The oceanic liverwort Frullania teneriffae on the trunk of a Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) tree in West Lothian, Scotland, midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Found in late August 2025.
Melt them down! Russia, China, North Korea Ruled by men inflicting fear and force upon their populations Awful way to run these nations See how proudly they display status through a huge array of soldiers marching to a drill and apparatus made to kill Sure, they’re not the only ones shunning peace, wielding guns But no – they kind of are alone, each sitting on his lonely throne Looking to the west, we find the USA’s not far behind Britain too: “Immigrants!” “Boats!” (You know the sources of these quotes) Clearly, as I’m sure you know, this is not the way to go, so put those weapons in a great big pot where they all melt down ‘cos it’s very very hot, then use that metal in friendly ways so we’re happy and together for the rest of our days, Concertinas: buttons and reeds Music is a thing that each and everyone needs Or microscopes, that help us see tiny little spores from a lichen on a tree Then we know a bit more from what we saw, which helps us care for the planet we adore so if we want things better, let’s go to town and get that bad stuff melted down!
The moss Ulota drummondii on a Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) in West Lothian, Scotland, in December 2023 (first record of this species in West Lothian) and photographed there again in May 2025.