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Winter wildlife doesn’t come much better than this
It’s shaping up to be a good year for Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus). Sure, the much anticipated ‘waxwing winter’ – an irregular spectacle marked by…
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Farmers are not the problem: I am, and you might be too
The recent State of Nature report paints a bleak picture of modern Britain. One in which wildlife populations tumble and wild spaces are hemmed in,…
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Another issue of New Nature!
We’re delighted to bring you yet another edition of New Nature, the youth nature magazine. Covering September and October, the publication is jampacked with content…
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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,…
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 a major passion of mine, and whether it’s ferns, snowdrops, grasses, ancient woodland plants, or even humble pavement weeds, I spend much of my spare time seeking out and learning about our remarkable wild flora.
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.
Coming Soon: An Urban Flora of Newcastle
For the last few years, I’ve been working on what I hope will soon become the first ‘urban flora’ covering Newcastle and North Tyneside. With surveying complete, and writing well underway, the finished book should come to fruitition very soon. Until then, a few updates can be found below.
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.
Contact
Please use the adjacent form to get in touch if you have any queries about plants, places or content mentioned on this blog. Enquiries about talks, training opportunities or media are also most welcome.
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