Recruitment for a part-time Training Officer in Northern Ireland
Our DAERA-funded Botanical Skills Project is recruiting for a part-time (3 days a week) Training Officer to join the project and help deliver botanical training for a variety of skill levels to a range of audiences; VCRs and recorders, organisations in Northern Ireland, and the public. Please share the job advert with anyone who might be interested.
James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager
Identification Webinar Series on Difficult Plants
We’re excited to announce a new series of identification webinars covering some of our more tricky plant groups. Join us for the opportunity to learn from national experts in three online Zoom sessions. These webinars are perfect for anyone looking to refine their botanical skills, from county recorders to those just beginning their plant identification journey.
The webinars are free, but if you’d like to make a donation towards the BSBI’s work then the option to do so is available on the booking pages.
- Mulleins (Verbascum) of Britain and Ireland with Mike Crewe
Tue 22 Apr 2025 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM via Zoom - Booking Link - Mints (Mentha) of Britain and Ireland with Ambroise Baker
Wed 7 May 2025 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM via Zoom - Booking Link - Broomrapes (Orobanche & Phelipanche) of Britain and Ireland with Chris Thorogood
Tue 10 Jun 2025 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM via Zoom - Booking Link
Huge thanks are due to all three experts for agreeing to present. Please make the most of their time and come along. We’re keen to organise more webinars, so if anyone would be interested in presenting a webinar on a group of plants or another subject then please contact me to discuss.
Sam Thomas, BSBI England Officer
BSBI Irish Spring Conference
The always enjoyable Irish Spring Conference is on Saturday, 5 April 2025, at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. Learn how to make best use of the BSBI DDb and Recording App, hear from the authors of two gorgeous new books, see what lovely plants you missed at last year’s Annual Summer Meeting in Guernsey, and find out about our exciting new recording project for the upcoming season, all in the excellent company of other botanists from across Ireland!
There will also be a ‘Botanical Books Bring-and-Buy’ stall, with proceeds going to BSBI, so if you have botany books you’re no longer using, pencil in a price and bring them along (as well as some cash to buy something else instead!).
In addition, the author of the sumptuous new Flora of County Monaghan will be bringing some copies to sell (as well as sharing tips on writing your own Flora!), so if you haven’t got yours yet, here is your chance (cash or Revolut please).
Hoping to see lots of you there!
Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer
This year: a new recording project for Ireland
After the recording marathon that was Atlas 2020, it’s been nice to enjoy a more relaxed approach to recording, but if you’re in Ireland and would like to get your teeth into something new, this year you can take part in our new ‘Upland Recording Project’, which seeks to re-find certain key species in sites where they have not been seen since 2000.
The project will be launched at the Spring Conference and details will be put up on the website in due course. In the meantime, if you’d like to sign up or find out more, please do get in touch.
Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer
iRecord training & verifier sign-up
A Zoom training session on iRecord verification will be taking place on Thursday 17 Apr at 19:30. Tickets and further information are available here. The session will cover how to verify plant records on the iRecord website. It is aimed at county recorders (VCRs), current iRecord verifiers and those thinking of starting to verify data on iRecord.
If you're a VCR or part of a VCR team and don't already have iRecord verification permission for your county then please get in touch with your relevant Country Officer prior to the event so that we can set you up with verification permission. If you are requesting verification permission, then please let your Country Officer know if you already have an iRecord account and, if so, the email address and username you use for that account. If you don't have an account, then please sign up for one and let us know the email and username that you used.
Sam Thomas, BSBI England Officer
Insurance for BSBI activities
BSBI takes out public and employer’s liability insurance which provides cover for BSBI and our activity leaders for claims that might arise from our recording activities and events. Here is a summary of the cover we have in place:
- Employer's Liability - UK £10M / Ireland €13M
- Public Liability - UK £10M / Ireland €6.5M
- Professional Indemnity - £0.5M
More information about what is and is not covered under these policies is available (members’ area). Use of vehicles is not covered under BSBI's insurance policies. Check your car insurance policy covers you for driving for BSBI activities.
If you have questions about BSBI's Insurance cover or need evidence of cover for activities, please send me an email.
Julia Hanmer, BSBI CEO
British & Irish Botany 7.1 published
The latest issue of our online Open Access scientific journal has been published, and contains six papers, two of which are likely to be of particular interest to botanical recorders: a consideration of how limestone pavements have ‘fallen through the cracks’ in British conservation; and a paper on the spread of Crassula helmsii in Ireland. Also in this issue: new combinations in Sorbus; an endemic Hawkweed; and two papers on historic botany: the first (C15th) British records of Oxalis corniculata, and the life of pioneering C19th botanist Charlotte Grace O’Brien by her great-grandniece, a longstanding County Recorder.
Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer
Four upcoming events in Northern Ireland
Teesdalia nudicaulis and winter annuals recording, Portstewart, Co. Derry Sunday 30 March
Sunday 30th - We will be investigating the dunes of Portstewart Strand and along the banks of the River Bann.
Sunday 30th - Book Now!
NPMS plot set-up training events. Led by Ciaran Flynn - classroom based in the morning, field based in the afternoon:
Kilbroney Forest Park, Rostrevor - Sunday 30 March - 10.30am to 4.30pm - TBC
Email Jen Farrar to register
YMCA Belfast and Lagan Meadows - Thursday 24 April - 10.30am to 4.30pm
These training events will be specifically covering how to go about determining where to set-up your plots within your NPMS square, recording and how to submit your records, maps and photographs.
Email Jen Farrar to register
NPMS Habitat training event. Led by Ciaran Flynn – This event will be fully field based.
Roe Valley Country Park - Saturday 26 April - 10.30am to 4.30pm – TBC
An opportunity to gain habitat training, woodland plant ID skills and advice regarding setting up woodland and linear plots.
Email Jen Farrar to register
Jen Farrar, BSBI Botanical Skills Officer Northern Ireland
BSBI Event Guidance update
Each year we review our guidance given to participants at BSBI meetings and to the people who lead and organise them. The 2025 review made a few updates to all the documents, which are on the Field Meetings and Indoor Events page.
In the Guidance there is now a bullet point list as a quick look to organising a meeting. There are expanded sections on insurance and expenses. In general, all meetings should aim to break even, so you may need to have a registration fee if you have significant costs. If a meeting requires specific consideration of safeguarding a risk assessment is needed in advance and feedback afterwards. There are lots of other minor amendments, but as it is a big document I don’t recommend reading it in one go – just dip in when you need to. If you find anything that isn’t clear, or think that you need further information, do let me know.
Only minor updates have been made to Safety in the field, which is more targeted at those who carry out fieldwork during their employment, but which contains useful hints and tips for anyone who is out and about recording plants.
Jonathan Shanklin, Hon. Field Meetings Secretary
Accessing data from the Recording App
To streamline access to records and surveys from the Recording App, a new My App Records search page has been added to the DDb, providing access to only one’s own app data. The page is available to all users of the Recording App, even if they don’t otherwise have access to the wider DDb.
With increasing use of the app, County Records may find it worthwhile checking periodically for new data for their county. We’ve added some guidance notes for VCRs, to help with validating and transferring Recording App data.
Tom Humphrey, BSBI Database Officer
County Recorder resources page
Do you ever find yourself knowing that a document or resource exists, but can’t remember exactly where on the BSBI website it is? You’re not alone!
To try and help with this we have created a new county recorder resources page. Here we have tried to aggregate and organise the key support materials and guidance vital to the VCR role, but we might have missed something. If you have an idea of a resource to add to this page, please let me know.
Hopefully, between this page and the documentation website you should be able to find everything that you need.
James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager
Welsh language publications
A number of BSBI publications are now available in Welsh, thanks to funding from the Nature Networks Programme, delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government. Thanks also to help from Sarah Woods and translator Haf Roberts.
- So You Want to Know Your Plants (Felly rydych chi eisiau adnabod eich planhigion?)
- Botanical Skills Ladder (Ystol sgiliau botanegol)
- BSBI Code of Conduct (Cod Ymddygiad)
They can also be accessed from the Welsh pages of the website.
Alastair Hotchkiss, BSBI Wales Officer
County Membership Lists
If, as a VCR, 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