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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,…
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Nets Down for Nature: when people power works for wildlife
There is rarely any cause for hope in the environmental field. Indeed, everywhere we look, habitats are being erased, ecosystems dismantled and vulnerable species pushed…
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Common By Nature commended at the UK Blog Awards!
Common By Nature, the blog you are perusing at this very moment in time, has taken the ‘Highly Commended’ position in the nature and wildlife…
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An hour in the company of aliens
Britain’s cities have served as the epicentre for countless invasions over the years. Landing sites, if you would, where species from far-flung destinations – East…
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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