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Galanthus elwesii
Galanthus elwesii occurs in southeastern Europe, around the Black Sea, and across much of Turkey. It was first described in 1875 by Sir Joseph Dalton…
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Growing Ferns from Spores – Part 1
Part one of a new series on this blog documenting the process of growing Ferns from Spores – I promise, it is easier than it…
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Waxcaps and Other Grassland Fungi on Hadrian’s Wall
I won’t pretend to know the slightest thing about fungi. As a botanist, I find I can only retain a small amount of non-plant-related information…
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Ancient Woodland Indicators in Northumberland
The current list of ancient woodland indicator species for Northumberland, which includes flowering plants, grasses, and ferns that are used locally to identify this special…
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Botany along the Bizzle Burn
A short account of a day spent botanising along the steep-sided Bizzle Burn in the Cheviots
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Fern of the Week: Beech Fern
Our next ‘Fern of the Week’ is the delicate Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis, an uncommon species of old woodlands and mountain sides.
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.
