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thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ Thomas Hammerich
@thammerich.bsky.social
490 followers 430 following 430 posts
⛏ Geologist+Palaeontologist
Alumni @ GeoB FB5 / Marum.de
🎓 Lecturer
🛳 Expedition Leader & Guide
15+ years of freelance exploring the
global Geo/Bio/Hist: guiding expedition
voyages on land/@sea
🌱 Seed & plant collector, 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♂️🖖 ☕lover
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thammerich.bsky.social
Some 180 million years ago, this ammonite was swimming in the Jurassic sea.

Today, it sits quietly on a wooden table. Apparently, this is what happens when you get dug up and meet a geologist. 🐚🦕 ⛏🤠

🔎 Pleuroceras sp.
📍 Bavaria, Germany

⚒
#FossilFriday #Ammonite #Paleontology #Geology
A close-up photograph of a fossil ammonite, probably Pleuroceras sp., resting on a polished reddish-brown wooden surface. The three-dimensional shell is preserved in silvery-grey mineralized material with dark brown areas of matrix. Strong, closely spaced ribs radiate across the curved whorl, creating a striking ribbed pattern. The outer edge appears to have a prominent keel. Parts of the fossil are broken or worn, revealing darker material beneath the pale mineral surface. Warm lighting emphasizes the relief and texture of the fossil and the wood grain beneath it. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
September 18, 2026 at 6:17 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Nature has excellent interior designers: white walls, golden carpet, green furniture...

...and a bumblebee thoughtfully inspecting the premises.

Even I stopped for a look, and took this photo too. 🌼🐝

📷 16 Feb 2020, Kaikōura, NZ

🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #Cosmos #NaturePhotography #NZ #botany
Photograph of a bumblebee feeding on a white Cosmos flower. The bee has a densely fuzzy black body with warm yellow-orange bands around the thorax and abdomen, and translucent wings with clearly visible dark veins. It is perched on the flower’s dense golden-yellow central disk, surrounded by numerous tiny tubular florets. The large white ray florets radiate outward, showing fine grayish veins and subtle creases. In the lower middle of the blossom the flower’s green, pointed sepals surround a rounded yellow-green developing seed head. Green foliage is visible surrounding the white flower. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
September 18, 2026 at 3:19 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
#FlowersOnMonday needs flowers. Preferably bright ones.

Preferably flowers that look as though they have arrived with their own lighting department.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘢 seems to have understood the assignment. 🌸

🔎 Lathyrus latifolius

#NaturePhotography #botany #Niedersachsen
Close-up photograph of Lathyrus latifolius (perennial sweet pea, everlasting pea) flowering among grasses. Several vivid pink to magenta pea-like flowers are arranged along slender green stems. The large flowers have broad, veined petals, with darker purple-magenta lines radiating across the central petals. Some blossoms are fully open, while others are still in bud or beginning to unfold. Tiny droplets of water are visible on several petals. Fine grass stems and seed heads surround the flowers, with additional pink blossoms softly blurred in the green background, creating a natural meadow-like setting. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
September 14, 2026 at 3:19 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
The days are shortening, but some flowers have evidently not received the memo.

𝘎𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘰𝘥 still gathering sunlight wherever it can. ☀️🌼

🔎 Solidago gigantea

🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #NaturePhotography #botany #Niedersachsen
A close-up shot focuses on a dense, cascading cluster of vibrant yellow flowers from a giant goldenrod plant, Solidago gigantea. The individual flower heads are tiny, fuzzy, and star-shaped, densely packed together to form a plume-like flower head that tapers downward against a soft, blurred background of green foliage and dark soil. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
September 11, 2026 at 2:30 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🖖🎂🚀 Sept 8th, 2026

🍾 Star Trek turns 60. 🥂

Six decades of imagining humanity among the stars...and strange rocks along the way.

Here’s to the fictional 'Elanin singer stone', real geology & curiosity as our guide to the unknown. 🚀🛰🔭

#StarTrek60 #StarTrek #Geology
A small, smoothly rounded, polished stone rests on a rough grey surface in bright sunlight. The stone is translucent milky white to pale grey, with numerous rounded brown, rust-red and ochre inclusions and bands that give it an intricate, almost planetary appearance. Its glossy surface reflects several small points of light, while its shadow falls to the lower left. The stone is an Elanin singer stone, a fictional object from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 2 episode “Pen Pals” (1989). In the episode, Dr. Pulaski explains that an Elanin singer stone produces a different acoustic song for each person who holds it; it remains silent when held by Data because he is an android. Data later leaves the stone with Sarjenka as a keepsake after her memories of the Enterprise are erased. Picture: Screenshot from the TNG "Pen Pals" episode, motified and newly arranged by Thomas Hammerich.
September 8, 2026 at 3:03 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
A small piece of late summer, held briefly in the hand.

Magenta petals, golden florets, and a quiet moment of colour against the green.

🔎 Garden cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

🌱
#FlowersonMonday #MagentaMonday #FlowerPhotography #botany
Close-up photograph of a vivid magenta-pink cosmos flower with eight broad, slightly overlapping petals. Each petal has striking pale pink to almost white radial stripes extending from the centre toward the tip, creating a starburst pattern. The yellow central disc is densely packed with tiny florets and surrounded by darker brownish structures. The flower is being gently held by a hand from below. The background is softly blurred green foliage and grass, with a few out-of-focus white and yellow flowers. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
September 7, 2026 at 5:14 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Wildflowers don't need to be rare to be remarkable. Dark mullein grows among ordinary meadow grasses...

...but its yellow flowers and purple-red stamens turned my walk into a small botanical discovery. 🌼🌿

🔎 Verbascum nigrum

🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #wildflowers #NaturePhotography #botany #Niedersachsen
A close-up photograph of Verbascum nigrum (dark mullein), a tall wildflower with a slender, upright green flower spike covered in numerous bright yellow, five-petaled flowers. The flowers have distinctive reddish-purple stamens at their centers and bloom at intervals along the upper stem. Broad, textured green leaves grow lower on the stem. The plant stands among tall grasses and seed heads in a meadow, with additional grass stems in the background. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
September 4, 2026 at 3:35 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
#FossilFriday ⚒

> "Abundant common fossils don’t need to be protected" <

www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Reply to The Guardian article cited: > "Abundant common fossils don’t need to be protected" < A rather tragic view, as it seems to imply that all discoveries have been made and all questions answered. Science is never a finished product. Scientific knowledge represents the best understanding available at a given time. And the conclusions we draw from it are necessarily provisional. Today’s "common" fossil may be tomorrow’s key to answering a question we haven’t even thought to ask yet.
September 4, 2026 at 1:52 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Spear thistle brings the flowers,
one bumblebee brings the visit.

Between them lies an arrangement
millions of years old:

You bring the pollen,
I'll provide the nectar

And we'll both pretend
the thorns aren't there 🐝🌸

🔎 Cirsium vulgare
🌱
#FlowersonMonday #NaturePhotography #Niedersachsen #botany
Close-up photograph of Cirsium vulgare (spear thistle) in full bloom in a sunny meadow. A large, golden-brown, hairy bumblebee hovers beside the purple-pink flower head, approaching the numerous narrow tubular florets. The tall green stem and flower head are densely covered with long, sharp spines and fine white hairs, creating a striking contrast between the thistle’s defensive armour and its delicate flowers. Several unopened or fading flower heads are visible around the main stem. Behind the plant is a softly blurred green meadow and a line of trees beneath a clear, vivid blue sky. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 31, 2026 at 2:16 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Why "Evening-primrose" ?
Because Oenothera biennis opens its flowers in the evening...

...perfumes the air...

...and caters to nocturnal pollinators.

Most flowers work the day shift. ☀️🐝

This one apparently prefers the night shift. 🌙🌼🦋

🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #NaturePhotography #botany
Close-up photograph of Oenothera biennis (Common Evening-primrose) growing among grasses and other vegetation. Two large, bright yellow, four-petalled flowers face the camera, with prominent yellow stamens and a four-lobed stigma in the centre. Several elongated, pointed green flower buds rise above the blossoms. The upright green stem bears narrow, lance-shaped leaves. The background is softly blurred, showing a garden-like setting with green foliage, grasses and dry vegetation. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 28, 2026 at 2:55 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
I had come to Whalers Bay to admire the geology.

Then this fellow appeared, apparently to remind me that even the most interesting rocks occasionally need a supporting cast.

Fair point. ☀️🌊

#WildlifeWednesday #Kaikoura #NewZealand #NaturePhotography
A New Zealand fur seal sits on a rocky shoreline at Whalers Bay, Kaikōura, New Zealand. The dark brown seal is partly in the shallow blue seawater, with its head raised and long pale whiskers clearly visible. One rear flipper is lifted beside its body, while the other flippers rest on the rocks. The foreground and background consist of pale, weathered carbonate rocks with cracks, small pools and patches of green algae. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 26, 2026 at 1:15 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
A little yellow flower with rather revealing names:

H. radicata from Latin radix: "root", apparently b/c this little plant takes its (extensive) roots rather seriously.

Then s.o. looked at its hairy leaves and thought: 😸

🔎 Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris r.) 🌼

🌱
#FlowersonMonday #wildflowers #botany
A close-up photograph of a single bright yellow flower of Hypochaeris radicata (cat’s-ear), centered on a slender green stem. The flower head consists of numerous narrow, strap-shaped yellow florets radiating outward in several layers, with fine orange-yellow details near the center. The background is softly blurred, showing dry, pale brown grasses and muted green vegetation. Picture: Thomas Hammerich A dense patch of Hypochaeris radicata (cat’s-ear) growing in a meadow. Numerous slender green stems rise through dry, straw-colored grasses, bearing small yellow flower heads at different stages, including fresh blooms and brown, dried heads. Several white, fluffy seed heads are visible among the stems. At the bottom, the plant’s characteristic broad, deeply lobed green leaves form a low rosette beneath the taller flowering stems. Fresh green growth contrasts with the surrounding dry vegetation. Picture: Thomas Hammerich Drawing of Hypochaeris radicata. (Hypochoeris occurs as a variant/orthographic form in older literature) Image: Wikipedia/public domain, reproduction of a painting by the Swedish botanist C. A. M. Lindman (1856–1928), from his book "Bilder ur Nordens Flora" (first edition published 1901–1905). Modified by Thomas Hammerich https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:38_Hypochoeris_radicata.jpg
August 24, 2026 at 11:25 AM
thammerich.bsky.social
#FireNeedsFuel 🔥🌲
It’s tempting to blame the 2026 Gironde #wildfire on climate change & leave it there.

But the landscape has a rather longer story: 19th-century drainage, vast pine plantations, uniform stands and a remarkable amount of fuel.

Then came heat, drought and wind...

1/2 👇
August 23, 2026 at 3:16 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
The California poppy opens its flowers in sunlight & often closes them when clouds arrive.

Essentially a botanical version of checking the weather before getting out of bed.

🔎 Golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #CaliforniaPoppy #Botany #FlowerPhotography
Close-up photograph of a vivid orange California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) held between fingers. The large, delicate flower faces the camera, showing four broad, silky petals that transition from bright golden yellow at the edges to deep orange and reddish orange toward the centre. Numerous orange stamens with elongated anthers surround the dark central stigma. Fine radial veins and subtle texture are visible across the petals. The flower is set against a blurred meadow background with slender green grasses and several blue cornflowers, plus small purple and pink flowers. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 21, 2026 at 1:23 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
As a geologist, I’ve spent rather a lot of time looking at maps.

But there is something quite different about watching the landscape itself pass by: the lines on the map become mountains, distant islands, the sea & a sunset - with no legend or scale bar required.

#TravelTuesday #TravelPhotography
Vertical photograph taken from the side of a ship at sea during sunset. The ship’s dark-and-white exterior and metal railing occupy the left edge, with a projecting balcony or equipment platform silhouetted against the sky. The low sun is a bright white-yellow disc in a hazy orange-red sky, just above a distant, dark, low-lying island or coastline on the horizon. A long, shimmering path of reflected sunlight stretches from the horizon across the rippled sea toward the foreground. The water glows copper, gold and orange in the sunset light. The horizon is softened by haze, emphasizing the contrast between ship, open sea, distant land and warm evening light. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 18, 2026 at 4:02 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Monday looks a little brighter when it blooms in shades of pink. 🌸💗

Wishing you a beautiful start to the week! #FlowersonMonday

🌱
#Hydrangea #gardening #FlowerPhotography #NaturePhotography
A close-up photograph of vibrant pink hydrangea blossoms filling the foreground. The overlapping petals range from vivid hot pink to softer rosy shades, with tiny flower centers visible among the four-petaled blooms. Behind them are clusters of purple hydrangeas, deep green leaves, and stems softly blurred by shallow depth of field. Bright natural sunlight highlights the delicate petal textures. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 17, 2026 at 10:09 AM
thammerich.bsky.social
Adding the 🌱
thammerich.bsky.social ⛏ Thomas Hammerich @thammerich.bsky.social · Aug 14
I went looking for something interesting and - just guess - found flowers...again! 🌸😅

This seems to happen to me surprisingly often.

⤴️ please rotate!

🔎 Honeysuckle or woodbine, (Lonicera periclymenum)

#FlowersOnFriday #Niedersachsen #wildflowers #nativeplants #NaturePhotography
Close-up of Lonicera periclymenum (woodbine/Wald-Geißblatt) flowering in dense woodland vegetation. A rounded terminal cluster holds numerous long, slender, tubular flowers radiating from a central point. The flowers range from creamy white to pale yellow, with older flowers becoming yellow. Long, delicate white stamens and curved styles extend prominently from the blossoms. Opposite green leaves and reddish-purple twining stems surround the flowers, with softly blurred green foliage in the background. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 14, 2026 at 11:09 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
I went looking for something interesting and - just guess - found flowers...again! 🌸😅

This seems to happen to me surprisingly often.

⤴️ please rotate!

🔎 Honeysuckle or woodbine, (Lonicera periclymenum)

#FlowersOnFriday #Niedersachsen #wildflowers #nativeplants #NaturePhotography
Close-up of Lonicera periclymenum (woodbine/Wald-Geißblatt) flowering in dense woodland vegetation. A rounded terminal cluster holds numerous long, slender, tubular flowers radiating from a central point. The flowers range from creamy white to pale yellow, with older flowers becoming yellow. Long, delicate white stamens and curved styles extend prominently from the blossoms. Opposite green leaves and reddish-purple twining stems surround the flowers, with softly blurred green foliage in the background. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
You can spend years studying rocks and still occasionally encounter something that makes the rocks look rather ordinary.

This #Galápagos land iguana has the colour, armour and general demeanour of a creature that remembers when the volcanoes were younger. 🦎🌋

#WildlifeWednesday #NaturePhotography
A large, colourful land iguana rests on a rough, dark volcanic rock. Its body is covered in yellow, brown and reddish scales, with a pale greenish-yellow head and prominent folds of skin around the neck. A row of pointed scales forms a low crest from the back of its head along its spine. Its powerful legs end in long, clawed toes, with one large forefoot resting prominently on the rock in the foreground. The iguana looks calmly toward the camera. Behind it are black volcanic rocks, dry vegetation and green leaves, creating a striking contrast between the ancient-looking reptile and its volcanic island habitat. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 11, 2026 at 10:33 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Somewhere between the blue sky and the rather determined thistle, Monday briefly forgot to be Monday.

I consider this a minor miracle. 💙🌸

🔎 Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense)

🌱
#FlowersonMonday #MagentaMonday #wildflowers #nativeplants #NaturePhotography
Close-up photograph of Cirsium arvense (creeping thistle) in bloom. A metallic green-and-bronze fly rests on the center of the vivid magenta-pink flower head, surrounded by numerous fine, threadlike florets. Slender green stems support the main bloom and several nearby, dried brown flower heads. Behind them, lush green vegetation is rendered in a soft blur beneath a bright blue sky. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 10, 2026 at 10:03 AM
thammerich.bsky.social
A meadow is really just thousands of small miracles pretending to be ordinary.

Every now and then one of them politely asks for your attention. This is today's candidate. 🌼

🔎 Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)

🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #wildflowers #nativeplants #botany #NaturePhotography
A close-up photograph of a common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) wildflower standing among tall green grasses in a sunlit summer meadow. Creamy-white blossoms with bright golden-yellow lower lips cluster along a slender upright stem, while narrow leaves extend below. A tiny black ant is visible exploring one of the central flowers, adding a sense of scale and a glimpse of everyday wildlife. Bright sunlight reveals the delicate texture of the petals, and the shallow depth of field keeps the flower crisp against a softly blurred background of lush fields, distant trees, and a vivid blue summer sky, creating a calm and peaceful rural scene. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 7, 2026 at 4:43 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
I imagine if you listened carefully enough, you might hear the faint echo of centuries...

...though it’s just as likely to be someone making coffee behind those windows.

📍 Kroken, Bergen / Norway 🇳🇴

#TravelTuesday #oldtown #Norway #streetphotography
A narrow cobblestone street in Kroken, Bergen, Norway, curves gently into the distance. On the right, traditional wooden houses in muted grey, pale green, and white stand close together, their windows reflecting nearby trees. Small potted plants, benches, and a wall-mounted lantern add a cozy, lived-in feel. On the left, leafy trees form a soft canopy, casting dappled light onto the uneven stones. The street leads toward a brighter opening with distant buildings under a partly cloudy sky. Picture (2019): Thomas Hammerich
August 4, 2026 at 3:40 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
In the grand contest between asphalt and optimism, it is comforting to see optimism blooming first thing on a Monday.

🔎 Baldr's brow or scentless chamomile (Tripleurospermum inodorum)

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#FlowersOnMonday #Niedersachsen #Wildflowers #NaturePhotography
Low-angle view of a small cluster of Tripleurospermum inodorum (scentless mayweed, also known as Baldr’s brow) with white petals and yellow centers growing out of a narrow crack between a concrete curb and an asphalt path. The flowers lean slightly outward into the light, surrounded by dry grass, soil, and small weeds. A metal railing runs diagonally along the curb, guiding the perspective into the distance. In the background, green trees and grassy landscape are lit by warm, golden early morning sunlight. The image highlights the resilience of wild plants thriving in harsh, urban edges. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
August 3, 2026 at 11:53 AM
thammerich.bsky.social
One can’t help but suspect the bumblebee knows something we don’t: that on a Friday, productivity is vastly overrated, and a quiet moment among yellow petals is really the only sensible plan.

🔎Bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
🌱
#FlowersOnFriday #wildflowers
#NaturePhotography #Niedersachsen
Close-up photograph of a bumblebee feeding on a bright yellow bird’s-foot trefoil flower. The bee is seen from behind, its fuzzy black body and translucent wings sharply in focus as it clings to the flower’s petals. The flower has a pea-like shape with smooth, rounded petals in vivid yellow, slightly veined with darker lines. Several similar yellow flowers appear around it, some blurred in the background. The surrounding foliage is green with thin stems and small leaves, creating a soft, natural backdrop. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
July 31, 2026 at 11:24 AM
thammerich.bsky.social
It is a curious fact that the Eurasian oystercatcher, a creature designed for briny horizons and heroic tides, will occasionally set up home on next door’s roof.

Perhaps it finds the oysters lacking, but the view acceptable.

#WildlifeWednesday #UrbanNature #NaturePhotography #Oystercatcher
A black-and-white Eurasian oystercatcher, stands on the ridge of a weathered, grey-tiled roof. The bird has a glossy black head and upperparts, a white belly, and a long, straight, bright red bill. Its pink-orange legs are visible as it balances near the edge of the roof. The bird is bent forward, preening its chest feathers with its bill. The roof tiles show patches of lichen and wear, adding texture. A metal roof edge or gutter runs along the right side. Picture: Thomas Hammerich
July 29, 2026 at 11:14 AM