phoebeob1
@phoebeobrien.bsky.social
Botanist, BSBI recorder, Identification Guide to the Non-Native Invasive Plants of Britain and Ireland. #GreatIrishGrasslands https://linktr.ee/PhoebeOBrien
Fancy visiting some gorgeous Irish grassland habitats? Check out our #IrishGrasslandsProject events, such as this one at Gale's Hill, Co Kilkenny on Sat 18 July. (www.tickettailor.com/events/botan...). Thanks to NPWS for funding this project. @bsbibotany.bsky.social @phoebeobrien.bsky.social
Help @bsbibotany.bsky.social what on earth is this? I'm in the field without my book. Gymnadenia and Twayblade right beside, but this site also has Spotted, Heath, Bee, Dense, Butterfly, ALT and Pyramidal
I think @phoebeobrien.bsky.social ‘s book covers it and it’s impacts. Getting it on the radar of ecologists is difficult enough, data on it would be great. Quadrats anyone? It’s not difficult to see it romping over other species and habitats tho
Budding Irish botanists :🪻🌼🌸🌾 @bsbibotany.bsky.social have a challenge for you (but a fun one!): #100Plants2026. More details at bsbi.org/take-part/ac... @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social @ucddublin.bsky.social @uniofgalway.bsky.social @phoebeobrien.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)@bsbibotany.bsky.social · 7mo agoCan you find, identify & record 100 wild plants in 2026? BSBI is confident that (with our support) yes, you can! Beginner botanists, will you accept the challenge? Sign up today for #100Plants2026 challenge: bsbi.org/take-part/ac... Check out the webinars & #WildFlowerID help we've prep'd for you!
🌸Got a botanical study in mind?🌾🌼You can apply for a helpful @bsbibotany.bsky.social Study Grant- but do it soon: the deadline is 31 January. More info at bsbi.org/learn/grants.... @atu-ie.bsky.social @uniofgalway.bsky.social @tcddublin.bsky.social @phoebeobrien.bsky.social @mikekally.bsky.social
Plant Study Grants
bsbi.org
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)@bsbibotany.bsky.social · 7mo agoAre you planning to undertake a project in 2026 which involves collecting plant-related data? Would you like <£1,000 towards your costs? Apply for a #BSBIPlantStudyGrant! Here's how: bsbi.org/learn/grants... Read how a #BSBIGrant helped Katherine research ancient meadows: bsbi.org/blog/2026/01...
A few fresh orchids popping up today in Burren National Park 🌸 • Heath Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) • Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) • Dark Red Helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens) Always a treat to see these beauties emerging! 🌿 #BurrenNationalPark
As #InvasiveSpeciesWeek continues and #BiodiversityWeek begins, I’m excited to be heading out tomorrow to explore some of Ardmore’s local habitats with @phoebeobrien.bsky.social, the Waterford City & County Council Biodiversity Office, and Ardmore Tidy Towns. #BiologicalInvasions
New on the blog! Fran Giaquinto and @phoebeobrien.bsky.social talk to us about their new book 🌿 Read the full interview ➡️ loom.ly/Dsds9E0 #InvasiveSpeciesWeek #INNSweek #nonnativeplants #invasivespecies #invasiveplants #invasivealienspecies #botany
Not just for Scottish botanists: this wonderful (& amazingly readable!) book talks about the distribution of the covered species in Ireland too, with lots of interesting background about bramble ecology & dispersal. Buy it, you might get hooked😉 @phoebeobrien.bsky.social @ollysflora123.bsky.social
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)@bsbibotany.bsky.social · last yr.Out now, Brambles of Scotland by Angus Hannah, #BSBICountyRecorder for Clyde Isles. This is the latest title in our #BSBIHandbooks series, essential resources for #WildFlowerID on tricky plant groups. Special offer (£7 off!) for #BSBImembers ordering the book. Find out more: bsbi.org/bsbi-handboo...
#Greatirishgrasslands event at one of the soon to be announced new Grasslands Trail sites. Thanks to Burren in Bloom for inviting me
For the past few months I've been working on bringing to life something that I think is really needed: a field guide to plant pathogens (focusing on fungi and oomycetes). It has gotten to the point where I feel I can share it publically - read more at irishplants.org/blog/2025/03... ! #FungiFriends
Brilliant, just what we all need, with sedge season not far off! @bsbibotany.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social @phoebeobrien.bsky.social #greatirishgrasslands #irishplants @tanyaslat.bsky.social @manxpeat.bsky.social @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social @bitheolaidhe.bsky.social
Jay Mackinnon@jayofthetriffids.bsky.social · last yr.@edinburghnapier.bsky.social short online botany course on sedge identification for beginners: www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-u.... Approx 20h of study at your own pace to identify sedge species using a standard botanical key. @jen-farrar-bsbi-ni.bsky.social @naturelark.bsky.social pls share, ta!
Fran and I are so excited to share this link for preorders of our book. We hope you like it! pelagicpublishing.com/products/ide...
Identification Guide to the Non-Native Invasive Plants of Britain and Ireland
This accessible guide gives you the tools to be confident in identifying and managing frequently encountered non-native invasive plants in Britain and Ireland. Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of ...
pelagicpublishing.com
New book on lichens by Paul Whelan looks good charliebyrne.ie/product/lich...
Lichens of Ireland and Great Britain : A Visual Guide to their Identification (Two Volume Set) – Charlie Byrne's
A comprehensive guide to lichens and lichenology in two volumes. It covers many lichens commonly found in Ireland and Great Britain and many of the described sp
charliebyrne.ie
It's often assumed that due to their small spores, fungi can easily disperse to wherever their hosts are - but there is actually decent evidence that mycorrhizal fungi are dispersal limited. Different climatic niches further lead to mismatched ranges as discussed in the interesting article below.
Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)@spun.earth · 2y ago⚠️ 1 in 3 trees globally faces extinction, according to the IUCN. Why are so many trees failing to adapt to the climate crisis? It might have something to do with a lack of #fungi. SPUN scientists investigate trees migrating away from the mycorrhizal fungi they depend on.👇 bit.ly/4gnV5DE
Before we all fled X, I asked around for people's experiences of Konik ponies. #Greatirishgrasslands. We have just posted a beautiful film about winter grazing with these ponies and conservation cattle. Check it out youtu.be/w26QfaGXGqM?...
Earlier in the year I pledged £5000 for small conservation projects. So far: Swift bricks for developments in Ireland ✅ Wildflower seeds for Cheshire & Wirral schools/groups ✅ Perennials for Cheshire meadow & wet woodland restoration ✅ Some funding still available—get in touch! 🌱
Hay Meadow decline in Ireland. When? CSO say 864,000 ha was lost between 1986 and 1991! 69% in 4-5 years! From 1.258 million hectares to 394,000 hectares! Out of nowhere Grass Silage rockets! The latest 2023 figures puts Hay at 107,000 ha, 91% loss from 1986 Silage was 1.104 million ha in 2023
Argentine Fleabane Erigeron bonariensis. You'd be forgiven for walking past these American fleabanes, but once you take a closer look you might not forgive yourself for having ignored them. #wildflowerhour @bsbibotany.bsky.social
A cheery splash of colour today in #CountyKerry after the monochrome (and beautiful!) palette of the snow and storm this week #WildflowerHour
This new study suggests that high-quality old grassland may be particularly good at supporting pollinators because diverse food sources provided by such grassland provide additional health benefits. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... | Pornon et al. @funecology.bsky.social
Species‐rich old grasslands have beneficial effects on the health and gut microbiome of bumblebees
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Fascinating talk be Trevor Dines on the factors driving urban botany including heat islands. @bsbibotany.bsky.social conference
Brilliant talk by @sandyknapp.bsky.social at @bsbibotany.bsky.social conference on the importance of taxonomic botany for food security (among many other things): quantifying evolutionary rates and adaptive potential in crops requires a detailed phylogeny of wild relatives for comparative studies.
Thanks @bsbibotany.bsky.social for many excellent talks, posters, exhibits and discussion at the British and Irish Botanical Conference today. Exciting to get a peek in the Natural History Museum herbarium too!
Great day at @bsbibotany.bsky.social annual British and Irish Botany Conference -inspiring talks, fabulous people! Botanists are the best ❤️🌱
Interesting #greatirishgrassland
Martin Hartmann@martinhartmann.bsky.social · 2y agoImplementing agri-environmental schemes that reward reduced fertilization and high plant species richness can enhance grassland multifunctionality and promote sustainable land management practices. A study highly relevant for policy, led by @valentinecology.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...
Come talk to me about plant pathogens and my poster at the @bsbibotany.bsky.social British and Irish Botanical Conference next Saturday!! Here's a sneak peak:
