Congrats to @trevorthebotanist.bsky.social on being awarded the 2026 Presidents' Award for his book 'Urban Plants'. The Award is made annually by the BSBI & @wildflowersociety.bsky.social Presidents for the most useful contribution (book, paper, discovery etc.) to our flora bsbi.org/about/news/l...

New blog out on how much I love botanising with my local #botany group in #Brecknockshire: lizzieharper.co.uk/2026/09/brec... Every trip I learn loads and meet wonderful botanically-minded people. Look up your local group, and give it a go! @bsbibotany.bsky.social #botanicalillustration #botany

Hips, haws, nuts and berries! It’s starting to look a bit autumnal out there! So this week’s challenge is #fruits! Share your finds of wild & naturalised fruits for #wildflowerhour this Sunday 8-9pm. Happy fruit hunting! ☺️🍒

Well, I said 2026 would be the year I learned ferns, and I must say, it’s going rather well. I’ve had so much fun delving into the pteridological rabbit hole, which has given me a rather good excuse to stray beyond Northumberland... 😂🌿

Forked Spleenwort (Asplenium septentrionale) from today's wander in the hills. This was just about the only plant still looking green and healthy, the rest were a tad crispy... 😬 #ferns

We just published a new issue of #BritishandIrishBotany, our Open Access online scientific journal. Find out about the 10 papers from authors inc @astridbiddle.bsky.social, Jo Jones from @plantlifeuk.bsky.social, Tim Rich, John Richards, Andy Amphlett, Chris Preston & more: bsbi.org/about/news/l...

Killarney Ferns in Cornwall. I can’t get enough of these dripping diaphanous beauties 😍

An entire crevice stuffed to the brim with Green Spleenwort (Asplenium viride). Certainly not a rare plant up here but still one of my favourites.

Speaking of willows, one of the absolute pleasures of our little Scottish adventure has been the chance to nerd out over all manner of species I don't see very often. The last one has me a little unsure but it's giving me Salix lanata vibes... #botany

As someone with a newfound penchant for willows, I was very pleased to finally track this one down today on our last full day in Scotland - Net-leaved Willow (Salix reticulata). A little beauty!

Okay, so this one made me VERY happy! Alpine Saxifrage (Micranthes nivalis) nicely rounded out our saxifrage set, having already seen Yellow, Starry, Mossy and Purple 🌿

One of the highlights of our yomp up Ben Lawers today had to be Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia). I wasn't really expecting to see this one in flower, so a nice surprise and a new species for me. #botany

One of the commoner but still quite special plants seen on today's walk up Ben Lawers - Alpine Mouse-ear (Cerastium alpinum) #botany

A few other lovelies from our pootle about this afternoon - Yellow Saxifrage, Mountain Sorrel, Wood Vetch, Mountain Everlasting, Dwarf Birch & Roseroot. #botany

Another highlight from an all too short walk in the hills this afternoon. Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) quite literally everywhere! A good start...

A quick walk after a rather lengthy drive to Scotland came up trumps, with some of the best populations of Holly Fern (Polystichum lonchitis) I’ve ever seen 🤩🌿 #ferns

The highlight of today’s jaunt into the Cheviots, for me at least, had to be an encounter with Dwarf Birch (Betula nana). What a lovely little tree! Presumably a historic introduction at this particular site but it looked to be doing well...

A long-overdue encounter with Hay-scented Buckler-fern (Dryopteris aemula) topped off today’s trip westward. The crisped leaf edges made it much more distinctive than I’d imagined... #ferns

After today’s trip across to Cumbria, I confess I’m a little smitten with Water Lobelia (Lobelia dortmanna). A real beauty, and a new one for me! 🤩 #wildflowerhour

A new challenge this week for #WildflowerHour, hope you enjoy it! Any wild or naturalised bloom that you find, squirrel out those evocative common names, the quirkier the better!

wildflowerhour@wildflowerhour.bsky.social · 2mo ago

For #Wildflowerhour this week find a wild or naturalised bloom with quirky #CommonNames! Pictured is Scutellaria galericulata, commonly named Skullcap, Hoodwort & Helmet Flower as the flowers were likened to the galerum worn by Roman soldiers ! Share your finds this Sunday 8-9pm!

Seem to have unnecessarily acquired a few willows of late! Salix arbuscula, lapponum, daphnoides and one that was meant to be lanata but may be x boydii. Oh, herbacea too but that's on route. Must stop now 😂

A fantastic display of Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella) up on Hadrian's Wall today. Apparently not too phased by the ongoing drought... #wildflowerhour

Roseroot (Rhodiola rosea) from yesterday's hike. Part of the only native population in Northumberland, no less! #botany

Sometimes it's the simple things... One from the weekend with a nice duo of Common Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes subsp. quadrivalens) and Wall-rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) on a limestone cliff 🌿

Another day, another outing, this time to the Cheviots. Surpringly, it was the clubmosses that stole the show... Here's both Alpine Clubmoss (Diphasiastrum alpinum) and Fir Clubmoss (Huperzia selago) looking especially nice 🛘 #botany

I spotted this on a pavement near my house and initially thought it was Spotted Spurge, Euphorbia maculata, a plant which I have been keeping my eye out for. However, I now think it might be E. serpens. If so, that's interesting, as there are only a handful of UK records. bsbi.org/maps/?taxoni...

Stumbled across an apparently well-known population of Hieracium villosum today - a new one for me, and quite the eye-catching little thing. It was definitely shaggy... #botany

A new plant for me on today's @nenature.bsky.social field trip with Wall Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys). Presumably introduced here but quite at home in its limestone quarry. #wildflowers

Some highlights from today's fern fest: Parsley Fern, Beech Fern, Mountain Male-fern, Green Spleenwort, Brittle Bladder-fern, Maidenhair Spleenwort and Northern Buckler-fern (if I am not horribly mistaken) #ferns

One of several potential #Salix hybrids from Teesdale today. Leaning towards Salix x laurina for this one: glaucous undersides and shininess of S. phylicifolia but hairy underneath and with faint raised lines under the bark pointing to S. cinerea. May have bitten off more than I can chew... 😂