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Poplar Ladybird (Oenopia conglobata) in Newcastle
A quick account of a morning in the company of a rather rare ladybird, Oenopia conglobata, discovered recently in Newcastle.
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Identifying Common Willowherbs
Get started identifying the widespread willowherbs you’re most likely encounter in a new, simplified crib
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New Year Plant Hunt: What’s flowering this winter?
I love the New Year Plant Hunt. Each year, this nifty project provides the perfect reason to head outside and find some interesting plants.
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Identifying Forget-me-nots
Get started identifying the widespread forget-me-nots you’re most likely encounter in a new, simplified crib
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Natural History Highs in 2023
It seems to have become customary on this blog for me to share a round-up of the year’s highlights, discoveries and magical moments. As 2023…
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The Plants of Newcastle – online talk
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of delivering my first ever talk to a room full of botanists (eek!).
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.
