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Cotoneaster salicifolius
Cotoneaster salicifolius forms a tree-like shrub to a maximum of 6-8 metres. Named for its willow-like leaves, it is native to China.
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10 Coastal Plants Colonising the City
Take a closer look at the coastal plants or halophytes spreading along roadsides to colonise the city.
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10 Urban Plants on the Rise in Newcastle
Just for fun, take a quick look at 10 urban plants currently on the increase across Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
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An Encounter with Lady Clermont’s Spleenwort (Asplenium x clermontiae)
A quick account of an overdue run-in with a Northumbrian speciality – Asplenium x clermontiae
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Identifying Crocuses
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised snowdrops you’re most likely to spot in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
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An Urban Flora of Newcastle – One Year On
A project update following a busy old year surveying the urban flora of Newcastle.
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.
