Recorder eNewsletter August 2024

Trustee opportunities

We have two trustee opportunities for BSBI members keen to serve the Society and help shape our activity going forwards. We are looking for a trustee and a new Chair of the Board of Trustees.

We are particularly looking for a trustee with experience of being a County Recorder, or who is an active recorder. For the Chair role we are looking for someone with leadership and governance experience. If you are looking for an opportunity to help make a difference for botanists, botany and wild plants, we would like to hear from you. Find out more here.

Julia Hanmer, BSBI Chief Executive

Hundreds of new species accounts available online

797 detailed species accounts have just been made available online. Prepared by Ralph Forbes for his Flora of Fermanagh, each account provides information on the plant's growth form, preferred habitats, methods of reproduction (both sexual and vegetative), its uses, how it got its name, and its distribution at British, European and global scales. These detailed and fascinating accounts are useful for all botanical recorders, whether based in Fermanagh or further afield.

Visit the Fermanagh Species Accounts and browse the A-Z listing or use the search facility to go straight to a particular species. Many thanks to Ralph for his excellent work preparing these species accounts and making them available to the botanical community.

Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer

Transfer of iRecord and iNaturalist data to the DDb

In early July, the transfer of iRecord (and other Indicia data) to a holding workspace in the DDb was completed, adding over 2 million records. Guidance on working with these data has been published on our documentation site.

James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager

Is there an iRecord verifier for your county?

A growing number of VCs have a designated person working on verifying iRecord data and providing feedback to recorders. Over time, we’d like to ensure that every county in the UK is covered. The iRecord verifier could be the county recorder or this could be an interesting task to delegate to a keen local volunteer. If you’d like help with finding someone to take on this role for your county (or wish to take it on yourself) then please contact your Country Officer or me for support.

James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager

BSBI at the International Botanical Congress in Madrid

The 20th International Botanical Congress is currently underway and BSBI representatives are present, with a poster about Plant Atlas 2020. Three trustees (Sandy Knapp, Richard Allanach and Pete Hollingsworth) are in attendance - Sandy gave the opening address - along with BSBI President Micheline Sheehy Skeffington and President-elect Paul Ashton. You can follow what’s happening at the Congress on Twitter at #IBC2024 or visit the BSBI News & Views blog to read Richard’s daily updates.

Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer

BSBI Recording App data

The Country Support Team has had a few queries about where to find data from the BSBI Recording App in the DDb. There is a guidance page that shows you how to access records in holding pen and transfer them to the main DDb workspace and includes suggestions on searches to best sort through the data.

James Harding-Morris & the Country Support Team

The Isle of Wight Flora ebook now available

Another County Flora is now available as an ebook from the BSBI website - The Isle of Wight Flora. It costs just £5, with proceeds going towards the BSBI's work.

If you are a Flora author and wish to make your work also available as an ebook (particularly useful if your Flora is out of print!) then please get in touch.

Sarah Woods, BSBI Fundraising and Engagement Manager

Interesting finds wanted for BSBI News 'Country Roundup'

Looking ahead to the September edition of BSBI News, we are once again looking for interesting snippets from this year’s spring and summer plant-hunting to include in the 'Country Roundups' section, which highlights some of the season's most noteworthy finds.

So - if you have any exciting or unusual discoveries, lucky finds, interesting re-finds, or indeed even tales of woe that you'd like to share in the magazine, please do send them on to your Country Officer or usual country contact during the first week in August, if possible.

Looking forward to reading about your best botanical moments!

Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer

English Botanical News is out

The 2024 issue of English Botanical News is now available for you to view or download from the EBN webpage, where you will also find back issues of the newsletter. This issue includes introductions to James Drever and Sam Thomas, as well as summaries of recent gatherings.

Jonathan Shanklin, Chair, BSBI Committee for England

Reminder about forthcoming events

In case you haven't checked the national field meetings & indoor events programme recently, here are reminders (below) of events across Britain and Ireland in the coming weeks - and don't forget to use the links on our Local Botany page to find out what's happening in your vice-county.

James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager

Dedicated Aquatic Plant Project field days during August

Thanks to generous funding from NPWS, there will be three Aquatic Plant Project field days during August, led by aquatic expert Nick Stewart and Aquatic Plant Project Manager Paul Green.

Sunday 4 August: a rare plant survey day, looking for dwarf spike-rush (Eleocharis parvula) at the Casheen River, Co Kerry.

Saturday 24 August: a training and recording day at the Royal Canal, Leixlip, Co Kildare.

Sunday 25 August: a training and recording day at the Royal Canal, Edenderry, Co Offaly.

For more details on these events, visit the Aquatic Plant Project page. As usual, places are free of charge ,but numbers are limited, so if you plan to attend, please book in advance.

Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer

Do you have, or would you like to gain, experience in providing training for the next generation of botanists?

I am keen to hear from anyone interested in gaining experience of developing, delivering and facilitating botanical training at all levels, in both classroom-based workshops and field events in Northern Ireland.

I have three events coming up in the next month:

A field event, in collaboration with the Belfast Hills Partnership (BHP), at Bog Meadows Ulster Wildlife Trust (UWT) Nature Reserve, Belfast on Saturday 27 July from 10.30am to 1pm.
A field event, led by Robert Northridge, VCR for Fermanagh, at Crom National Trust Property, Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh on the Flora of the upper Lough Erne Basin, 10 August, 10am to 4pm.
A workshop, in collaboration with BHP, on Grasses, Sedges and Rushes for Beginners at the BHP offices and Slievenacloy UWT Nature Reserve on Saturday 17 August from 10am to 4pm.

If you would be interested in coming along to any of these events to observe or participate as a co-leader or would like to know more about gaining training as a trainer, please get in touch at either jen.farrar@bsbi.org or on 07395202879.

Jen Farrar, BSBI Northern Ireland Botanical Skills Officer

Field meetings coming up in England and Wales

Spaces are still available on a beginner-friendly excursion to Yiewsley & Cowley Peachey, near West Drayton, on 24 August to hunt for wetland species.

There are no more national field meetings coming up in Wales this year but there are local meetings planned in Glamorgan, Merionethshire and Denbighshire.

Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer

Field events in Ireland during August

Exciting field events are planned at both ends of the country this month:

On 10 and 11 August: an opportunity to examine the flora of Killard Point NNR, including the recently-discovered Spiranthes spiralis (Autumn Lady’s-tresses) at its only Northern Ireland site, and a colony of Tall Sea-Lavender (Limonium procerum subsp. procerum) on the Legnaboe coast.

On 17 August: join Co Clare VCRs in exploring and recording the southern part of Carrowmore coastal dune complex, with its strandline vegetation, mobile & fixed dunes, and dune slacks. There hasn't been any recent recording at this site, so it will be interesting to see what's there: there are old records of locally rare species including Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), Adder's-tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum) and Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea), perhaps just waiting to be re-found?

For more details, and to book a place, check out the links on the field meetings and indoor events page. Places at both events are limited, so if you plan to attend, please book in advance.

Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer

Identification workshops in Scotland this month

There are still a few spaces available at two identification workshops based in Scotland in August: Identifying Composite Flowers (the Daisy family), and Ferns for Complete and Utter Beginners . If you know any botanists building their skillset that might be interested in these, please pass on the details! Book online via the BSBI Scotland webpage.

Matt Harding, BSBI Scotland Officer

Training for Trainers: new date for Edinburgh workshop

Thinking about using your botanical skills to help teach others? BSBI is holding a free 'Training the Trainer' workshop at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) on Saturday 5 October, rearranged from the original advertised date in March. This is a new one-day workshop for anyone engaged in or considering working on a training event. This could be running or assisting with a beginners’ or specialist workshop, leading a field meeting at local or national level, giving a talk to non-botanists, acting as an Identiplant tutor, and so on.

Faith Anstey, Scottish Outreach Committee

County Membership Lists

If, as a BSBI volunteer such as a County Recorder, you need access to members’ contact details in your area, we can arrange this. We will need you to read and sign our Volunteer Confidentiality and Data Protection Agreement. For more information see the membership list page on the password-protected members’ area of the BSBI website.

James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager