-
Plant of the week: Italian Toadflax
Entry number four in our Plant of the Week series follows the unexpected discovery of Italian Toadflax growing in my local cemetery.
-
Ladybirds along the Tyne – Elswick, Heaton, Havannah & Prudhoe
From the city carparks and cemeteries to chalk mounds at Prudhoe, it has been a fantastic fortnight for local ladybirds.
-
Spotted Marsh Ladybird, Coccidula scutellata, at Gosforth Nature Reserve
This week, I was delighted to record what appears to be the first Spotted Marsh Ladybird recorded in South Northumberland (VC67). Searching various local wetlands…
-
Wildflowers on the web: great botany blogs and resources
Whether you’re Googling an exciting find or planning your next botanical foray, there are some fantastic botany blogs out there to discover.
-
Plant of the week: Forked Catchfly
For the third entry in our ‘Plant of the Week’ series we take a look at Forked Catchfly, a rare arable weed from Eastern Europe
-
A Quick Guide to Black Ladybirds
A short guide to some of the black ladybirds you could encounter while ladybird spotting across the UK
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.
