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2016: A Wild Year In Retrospect (Part 1)
It has become somewhat of a tradition on this blog to, near the turn of the year, dwell momentarily on the high-points of the months past.…
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Writing: Life Lessons From 2016
Writing, tweeting and generally posting anything into the public domain is a sure fire way to stress yourself out, though it is thoroughly rewarding. 2016 has been…
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6 Reasons I Spend Time In Nature
I spend the majority of my free time outdoors: birding, writing, taking pictures, recording, watching and, occasionally, ambling absent any particular aim. For me, the…
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The Past Few Days…
The last few days have been hectic; passing in a blur of feathers, arduous bus journeys and exciting new experiences. With countless miles traveled for…
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Dwelling on Deer: Culls and Control
There is no way around it, our small island is positively bursting with deer. So many in fact, that the issue of overpopulation and its subsequent…
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Living North Awards 2016
Okay, I confess, I have been a little vocal with my excitement over attending the Living North Awards this week, and over my shortlisting in…
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 – Out Now!
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.
