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Dipping a Toe into the Natural History of Crete
A week ago, I begrudgingly returned home from a spur of the moment family holiday in Crete – a part of Europe I had yet…
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Bringing the wilds home: a backyard experiment
The problem with living in any city, whether that be London, Manchester or, like me, Newcastle, is that space is often at a premium. Large…
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On the hunt for orchids
Orchids capture the popular imagination to a far greater extent than any other group of plants. Indeed, birders, entomologists, mammal-watchers – those who would never,…
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The latest edition of New Nature!
It’s the moment you have all been waiting for – well, some of you at least. The latest edition of New Nature magazine, covering July…
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In the Company of Trees, by Frances Jones
Yesterday I joined a walk on Wimbledon Common led by Peter Fiennes, author of an absorbing and beautiful book on trees. Oak, Ash and Thorn…
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The answer to the climate crisis isn’t reusable coffee cups, by Sophie Johnson
We’ve got 12 years to prevent irreversible climate damage. If we don’t see drastic change by 2030, our children will be immersed in persistent heatwaves,…
Current Fascinations
By my own admission, I am prone to falling down rabbit holes from time to time. Typically, this involves deep-diving into a particular subject and learning as much as possible before, inevitably, another topic comes along to take its place. Regardless, below you’ll find my current areas of interest…
Botanical Bits
Botany is my main interest, and whether it’s ferns, snowdrops, grasses, ancient woodland plants, or even humble pavement weeds, I try to spend as much time as possible seeking out our wild plants.
North East Botany
Here you’ll find musings on plant identification, trip reports, sightings from walks and courses and just about anything else relating to botany in North East England.
Urban Flora of Newcastle and North Tyneside
The Urban Flora of Newcastle and North Tyneside is the first comprehensive account of the wild plants growing across the Newcastle and North Tyneside conurbation, one of the largest in the UK.
Based on six years of fieldwork, the book documents more than 1,120 native and naturalised plants -around a third of Britain’s entire flora.
Meet James
Born and raised in North East England, James is a botanist, general naturalist and biological recorder with a passion for sharing the joys of North East nature with others.
He currently works as Senior Naturalist for the Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) and volunteers as a vice-county recorder for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI), both of which allow him to spend ample time outdoors leading trips, courses, surveys and guided walks.
