Plant of ancient woodlands confirmed in northern Scotland Herb-paris, a plant typical of ancient woodlands, has been confirmed growing in upland birch woodland on a ravine ledge in East Sutherland, in northern Scotland. The plant was originally spotted by James Rainey, a botanist and ecological consultant, seven years ago but wasn’t reported to the Botanical…
Tag: BSBI
BSBI – Vulnerable aquatic plant found in Hampshire
Vulnerable aquatic plant found in Hampshire Opposite-leaved Pondweed has been discovered at a site in the lower reaches of the River Ems in Hampshire. This is the first record for the Ems catchment area since 1887: the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Tristan Norton, a local Government ecologist who is also the Botanical Society of…
BSBI – Ancient clubmosses rediscovered in Dunbartonshire
Ancient clubmosses rediscovered in Dunbartonshire A botanist has rediscovered four species of clubmoss – ancient plants whose ancestors fossilised millions of years ago to form Scotland’s coal forests – in Dunbartonshire. One of them, the Marsh Clubmoss, is a real rarity which hasn’t been seen in the area since 1854. Matt Harding, Scotland Officer for…
BSBI press release – 2026 New Year Plant Hunt
As the climate warms, hundreds of wild flowers bloom in midwinter Thousands of citizen scientists took part in the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland’s fifteenth New Year Plant Hunt to find wild or naturalised plants flowering in midwinter. Their observations are providing us with robust evidence of how our wild plants are responding to a…
Winning images celebrate British and Irish wild plants
The winners have been announced in the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland’s 2025 Photographic Competition. Botanists were encouraged to submit images in this year’s three categories: intrepid, inquisitive and inclusive – these are the Society’s core values and best describe our members. The winning entries in each category were: Intrepid: finding plants in wild…
BSBI press release – New GB Red List for vascular plants published today
A new GB Red List for vascular plants has just been published – click here, providing a comprehensive revision of the previous (2005) list. Red Lists use internationally recognised criteria to assess threat status, and are crucial in providing the evidence which underpins nature conservation and helps prioritise future action. Of the 1,720 species evaluated…
BSBI press release – Rare fern rediscovered in iconic Cwm Idwal – more than 150 years after last sighting
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The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) is thrilled to announce the rediscovery of Holly Fern (Polystichum lonchitis) in Cwm Idwal, a glacial cirque in the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia). The fern was found by naturalist, author and mountain leader Jim Langley, more than 150 years after it was last seen in the area. Holly Fern…
A tale of (one, two, three, four) fleabanes
I blame Trevor Dines (click here) for the fact that I glanced at a plant in the car park of the Helston Premier Inn last week and wanted to know what it was. With my (lack of) botanical knowledge it was a toss-up between realising it was a plant I’ve seen thousands of time before…
BSBI press release – Hunting for Wales’ missing wild plants
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This summer, botanists are out scouring Wales’ most special wildlife sites, trying to re-find wild plants that haven’t been seen for decades. They are taking part in a project, run by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) with funding from the Welsh Government’s Nature Networks Programme, to refind priority plants in Wales. BSBI…
BSBI press release – New Year Plant Hunt 2025 results
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Thousands of citizen scientists find hundreds of wildflowers blooming in midwinter Thousands of citizen scientists took part in the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland’s fourteenth New Year Plant Hunt to find wild or naturalised plants flowering in midwinter. Their observations are providing us with robust evidence of how our wild plants are responding to a…