-
An Urban Flora of Newcastle: Progress & Problems so Far
An update on ongoing survey carried out to map and record the diverse and fascinating Urban Flora of Newcastle.
-
A Winter Walk at Hareshaw Linn
A short account of a frosty trip to Hareshaw Linn in Northumberland last weekend
-
Exploring Urban Cotoneasters in Newcastle
Recently, I’ve been taking a closer look at wild and naturalised cotoneasters in Newcastle. Here’s what I’ve found so far, from an amateur’s perspective.
-
Identifying Snowdrops
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised snowdrops you’re most likely to spot in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
-
Exploring North East Nature in 2022 – A Few Highlights
A summary of a fantastic year spent watching, recording, and enjoying North East nature. often in great company.
-
Identifying Small-flowered Fleabanes
Get started identifying small-flowered fleabanes a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners. So far, this fledgling series of botanical cribs has focused on plants commonly…
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.
