Hello, I’m James, a botanist, naturalist, and lifelong wildlife enthusiast, fortunate to be living my childhood dream of a career immersed in nature.

I created Common By Nature in 2011 as a place to share my fascination with the wildlife of North East England. While the topics have evolved over the years – and the writing has hopefully improved at least slightly – the blog remains much the same at heart: a space to document sightings, share memorable trips, and occasionally ramble about whatever natural history rabbit hole I’ve most recently fallen into.

It still surprises me that, despite the increasingly sporadic posting schedule, around 40,000 people continue to visit the blog each year. Thank you for reading.

My main interests lie in observing and recording wildlife, particularly plants and (when distracted from the plants) invertebrates. Expect plenty of botanical wanderings, urban nature, identification quirks, obscure ecological tangents, and the occasional evidence of my neurodiverse noggin latching onto a new obsession.

What to expect on Common By Nature?

If you’re seeking a meticulously organised blog with a singular focus, this may not be the place for you. Common By Nature is very much a hodgepodge of my various interests – “mind splat” might be the more accurate term, though hopefully the sort that someone, somewhere, finds useful or entertaining.

Broadly speaking, you’ll find:

• Wildlife sightings: accounts of local walks and notable discoveries from around the North East
• Trip reports: occasional ramblings from excursions further afield
• Identification guides: notes on recognising and separating various species
• Light-touch ecological discussion: general musings on wildlife, habitats, and the natural world

In short: expect enthusiasm, tangents and the occasional deep dive into niche corners of natural history.

My Interests

Biological Recording

Wildlife recording sits at the heart of almost everything I do. Whether it’s plants, bees, waxcaps or more recently, ladybirds, I spend an inordinate amount of time documenting species and submitting records. Remarkably, this was recognised in 2022 when I received the National Biodiversity Network Newcomer Award for biological recording.

In my day job, I’m fortunate to lead on several projects, including the North East Bee Hunt and North East Ladybird Spot, alongside work on regional wildlife atlases and public engagement with natural history. Elsewhere, I’m an enthusiastic user of iRecord and, to date, have uploaded around 70,000 wildlife records – which probably tells you everything you need to know about my hobbies.

Botany

Plants are my main passion. As Vice-county Recorder for North Northumberland (VC68) with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and an assistant recorder for South Northumberland (VC67), I spend a considerable amount of time staring at, studying, and recording wild plants, often in places where most sensible people would simply keep walking.

I also lead courses and field trips across the region, helping others explore and appreciate the flora of North East England. That said, I’m very much still learning myself. Botany has a wonderful way of keeping you humble, usually by presenting an impossibly awkward sedge or willow the moment you start feeling confident.

My particular interests include:

• Urban plants: I recently published the first Urban Flora covering Newcastle and North Tyneside
• Pteridology: the study of ferns, or in my case, a steadily worsening case of fern fever
• Non-native species: particularly the identification, ecology, and spread of introduced plants
• Niche groups: including grasses, snowdrops, orchids, and complicated genera such as Cotoneaster.

In essence, if it’s green or mildly obscure, there’s a good chance I’m interested in it.

Ladybirds

In addition to plants, I also volunteer as a verifier for ladybirds across Northumberland and County Durham (VC66, 67 & 68), where I assist others with their findings and actively seek out these fascinating insects myself.

The Professional Bit

Since completing my university studies, I’ve primarily worked in conservation and ecology.

Currently, I work as the Senior Naturalist at the Natural History Society of Northumbria. For a detailed overview of my professional journey, please visit my LinkedIn profile.

My written work has been featured in:

• Anthology for the Changing Seasons (two editions)
• The Entomologist’s Record
• Roebuck
• The Countryman
• Dragonfly News
• Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria

I also founded and directed New Nature Magazine, the UK’s first nature magazine written and edited entirely by young people, which ran from 2016 to 2020.

Online, I’ve contributed columns to the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and other organisations. Additional content can be found on the NHSN website.

My work has garnered attention from BBC Wildlife Magazine, has been featured on BBC Countryfile [eek] and has led to finalist positions in the Northern Blogger Awards, UK Blog Awards, and Living North Awards.