It has become a bit of a tradition on this blog to share a round-up of the previous year’s highlights, discoveries and memorable moments. Indeed, it is always nice to look back and reflect, and nicer still to revisit similar posts from 2015 onwards (even if I do cringe a bit at my writing back then). As 2024 draws to a close, lets go again with some highlights of the past 12 months, both here on Common by Nature and across the wider North East.
As ever, a massive thank you to the friends, colleagues, naturalists and likeminded locals who have helped make 2024 another enjoyable and productive year. The natural history community is a thing of beauty and I am so very grateful for the advice, support and nuggets of wisdom offered once again!
Recording the Urban Flora
This one won’t surprise you – I’ve harped on about urban plants several times on this blog in 2024 [try here and here]. As many of you know, the vast majority of my time outside of work this year has been spend recording and writing an Urban Flora for Newcastle and North Tyneside – something I hope to finally bring to fruition in 2025.
This year alone, I have visited over 100 monads in the city, logged some 17,000 plant records and noted no less than 800 species growing in a wild and naturalised state among the terraces, alleyways and brownfield plots of Tyneside. Still, after several years of recording, it never ceases to amaze me just how diverse our cities actually are. From relic native plants such as Lesser Water-parsnip thriving in an urban burn and Autumn Gentian colonising a former spoil heap to hardy invaders, there is ever so much to see. Indeed, the total count for the survey area now stands at 1,020 species – that’s a fair chunk of the British flora!
A project like this would not be possible without the support of others so a huge thank you to everyone who has shared a record on iRecord this year. Particularly to Chris Barlow and James Bowyer for their helpful surveys.
Special Places
The same places crop up time and time again in these roundups; though that is not necessarily a bad thing. We all have our favourites and for me, 2024 provided opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the the two that matter most to me: Lindisfarne and Upper Teesdale.
I have visited Lindisfarne on no less than seven occasions this year, alone, with friends, with groups, you name it. Still, there has been an awful lot of of new spectacles to enjoy. Inspired by the Metherell’s superb book, Small Adder’s-tongue (Ophioglossum azoricum) finally revealed itself and at last, I made time to seek out the vice-county’s only example of Common Sea-lavender (Limonium vulgare). Add to that my first encounter with the island’s Coralroot Orchids (Corallorhiza trifida) and record counts of Frog Orchid (Dactylorhiza viridis) and you have the makings of a very happy botanist.
Teesdale too has been a enjoy, with careful scouring finally revealing Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) and Shady Horsetail (Equisetum pratense). Of course, fantastic displays of Spring Gentians (Gentiana verna) were not to be scoffed at too.
Away from these places, there have been exciting excursions to Hadrian’s Wall in search of Waxcaps, Hareshaw Linn for ferns, and many, many more wonderful outings. I have been spoiled.
Fantastic people and Events
If there is one part of my ‘day job’ I love best, it is the opportunity to get out and about sharing natural history with others. This year, I have had the pleasure of leading some 80 sessions across the North East, visiting some wonderful places with many inspiring people.
The highlight this year has definitely been the education courses, including my new ‘Botanist’s Year’ programme delivered for NHSN which saw almost 20 visits to botanical hotspots across the region and covered everything from snowdrops and cotoneasters to willowherbs and pesky yellow composites. I am not sure about the attendees, but I had a blast. Add to this our 200 Plants and Counting Course, returning Urban Botany course and standalone sessions on grasses, trees and even a few insects, and 2024 has been a pretty productive year. I definitely feel more confident in this regard – had you known me a few years past, you would know this hasn’t always been the case.
Closer to home, NHSN’s super Gosforth’s Wild Web project has meant plenty of walks, talks and ID sessions in urban parts of Newcastle. I’ve particularly enjoyed spending time with the Friends of Hebburn Riverside Park and several bioblitzes held in Newcastle’s city parks. Truly, there is no such thing as a dull day at the office…
interesting Plants
As you might expect, most of this year’s interesting discoveries have taken place in and around the city. Still, there have been several and some of them at least were rather notable. Rummaging this year has revealed a good few ‘county firsts’ in the form of Egyptian Clover (Trifolium alexandrinum), Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Chia (Salvia hispanica), Lawn Lobelia (Pratia angulata), False Buck’s-beard (Astilbe japonica) and several more.
Away from the dodgy aliens, it was exciting to note Lesser Water-parsnip (Berula erecta) at Seaton Burn, a plant once thought extinct in VC67, and new populations of Rare Plant Register and local scarcities such as Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella), Common Wintergreen (Pyrola minor), and Rustyback (Asplenium ceterach).
All of this goes without mentioning the botanical ‘twitches’ that have taken place in 2024. Especially memorable are encounters with Lady Claremont’s Spleenwort (Asplenium x clermontiae) and Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes subsp. pachyrachis) but there have been many.
Rediscovering this Blog
This blog has changed much since it launched in 2011. Where once it was a journal of sorts it has now become a repository for any random thought that pops into my head – identification sheets, project updates, trip reports, exciting finds, you name it. My writing here had waned somewhat over recent years but this year, it seems to have made somewhat of a resurgence. Mainly because a good few people keep reading it!
Though it beggars belief, this year, Common By Nature has been visited some 42,000 times (a 200% increase on last year) by around 34,000 individual visitors. While it is true that I have put a little more effort in, I am not entirely sure what has caused this. I still giggle that a post I published in 2022 on ‘The Best Plant ID Apps‘ continues to draw in around 100 readers per day.
I guess what I am trying to say is thank you for reading!
Down the Rabbit Hole
As someone with ASD, I confess that I am prone to heading down rabbit holes from time to time. Usually, these forays last for a few weeks before dissipating, never to emerge again. Recently however, a few of these deep dives appear to be sticking and may even become a key focus in the future.
On a light note, one of these ‘fads’ seems to have become snowdrops! Besides an obligatory glance each spring, these plants seldom got a look in before but now, seem to have become somewhat of a seasonal obsession. So much so that our tiny yarden in Heaton is now home over a dozen species and several more cultivars won in hard fought eBay auctions. This has since resulted in a great many hours spent combing the wider countryside in search of new or unrecorded species and in some cases, unique varieties. Just look at the wonderful yellow one below…
On a more serious [and far more stressful] note, I seem to have also stuck with Cotoneasters. Why, I am not sure, likely my husband would prefer it if I hadn’t given how many weekends this year have been spent searching for and identifying them – sometimes successfully. Regardless, I do love them and recently shared a concise atlas for the species found growing wild on Tyneside.
Rumour has it I’ll also be talking about them to BSBI members in a few months time…
Looking Ahead
It is always nice to set a few resolutions for the New Year, and to publish them here so i can be held accountable when inevitably, some of them fail to come to fruition. That said, in 2025 I do have a few aspirations…
- Finish the urban flora! With around 50 ‘top up’ surveys still to complete, much of next year will be spent exploring our urban plants. I do, however, hope to wrap up the project in 2025, finish writing and hopefully, find a publisher willing to print such a thing. If any readers have any ideas in this regard, I’d love to hear from you…
- More, more, more! I’ve already mentioned how much I love getting out there [in good company] to explore our region’s wildlife. In 2025, I am excited to launch several new courses as part of my role with NHSN. So far, new additions included standalone sessions on willowherbs and trees, a new grasses courses taking place over four instalments, and even a programme dedicated to wetland plants. That should keep me busy. I’m also excited to lead a wee holiday for the fabulous Greenwings.
- Possibly a FISC. For the last few years, I’ve been interested in putting my botanical skills to the test and taking a FISC exam with the BSBI. Next year I might just do this, we’ll see.
- Rediscovering insects. Aside from ladybirds, my interest in insects has waned a little in recent years, thanks largely to a core focus on botany. Next year, however, I am keen to do both and have resolved to dust off the moth trap and sweep net and start recording invertebrates once again. So far, contenders for this insect moths, hoverflies and bees.
- Write more! Given this blogs slight resurgence this year, next year I want to dedicate much more time to sharing content on Common by Nature. What format that will take, I am unsure, but should time allow, you can expect much more in 2025. I’ll also be focusing attention on my new BlueSky account if anyone would like to join me on there…