Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland

01/09/2026

There are just 30 days left to enter our Botanical Photographer of the Year competition.

The flora of Britain and Ireland is stunning, at a macro or a micro scale. It's free to enter, and we want to see your photos of the British and Irish flora!

So take a scroll back through your photo roll and send us your favourites - you can enter up to 12 photos across the competition categories, and they don't have to be from this year, any photo of a plant in the wild in Britain and Ireland is eligible.

Make sure your shots are in the running. For full details, visit our website: https://bsbi.org/take-part/activities/photographic-competition

📸 Bitter Vetch (Lathyrus linifolius) Glen Cannich (VC96) by Bert Barnett

28/08/2026

We just published a new issue of , our free, Open Access online scientific journal.
Find out about the 10 papers from authors inc Jo Jones from Plantlife: saving wild plants, Tim Rich, John Richards, Chris Preston and more: https://bsbi.org/about/news/latest-news/british-irish-botany-8-2-bumper-issue-published

21/08/2026

There are just a few days left to apply to join our team and play your part in the next iteration of the Local Change project; building on previous monitoring projects to provide crucial data on the state of our wild plants.

We're now looking to recruit a Project Coordinator: could that be you? https://bsbi.org/about/news/latest-news/local-change-project-coordinator-vacancy

Full time, £35,700-£37,000 per annum fixed term contract for 2.5 years, homeworking anywhere in the UK and Republic of Ireland with some travel across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Closing date: 9am Monday 24 August

Here's the background: https://bsbi.org/take-part/projects/local-change

Details about the Plant Atlas 2020 project and outcomes.

19/08/2026

Today is - the perfect time to remind you that that you have until 30 September to choose your most stunning botanical photos and enter them into our Botanical Photographer of the Year competition.

Our photographic competition aims to highlight and celebrate the dazzling visual world of Britain and Ireland's wild plants, and the botanists who are interested in them. We have a host of categories and awards that you can choose to enter, and it is completely free to take part.

Winners will be announced at the British and Irish Botanical Conference, held at the Natural History Museum in London on 28 November.

Find out more and enter:

The BSBI is for everyone who cares about the wild plants of Britain and Ireland.

14/08/2026

Taking part in the governance of an organisation like the Botanical Society is a way to put your skills, experience and curiosity to use to make a true impact at scale.

We're currently recruiting for a new trustee to join our board and add their voice to our work, and we also have an opening in the role of Chair of the Board, following Dr Sandy Knapp's tenure.

We are particularly looking for trustees with skills, knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas: plant recording (with experience of the Vice-County Recorder role, or is an active recorder), finance (with an interest in charity finance), education (academic, teaching or environmental education experience), leadership and governance. Most of all we need trustees with the enthusiasm and time to help us make a difference for botanists, botany and wild plants.

For full details, visit our website:

The BSBI is for everyone who cares about the wild plants of Britain and Ireland.

23/07/2026

This Sunday is , an opportunity to celebrate our wonderful peatbogs, the plants and other wildlife they support, and their importance for carbon capture.
Find out how you can get involved and 3 iconic bog plants to look out for:

The BSBI is for everyone who cares about the wild plants of Britain and Ireland.

16/07/2026

We have just released a massive update to the BSBI website, adding 300+ digitised historical titles to our website, from County Floras to journals to Herbals dating back to 1571.

Here is what you can now explore:

The Classics: All the way from Pena & L'Obel's landmark Stirpium Adversaria Nova (1571!) to Simpson's Bibliographical Index of the British Flora (1960), plus all 36 volumes of the monumental English Botany.

Local Context: 203 County Floras and 160 Local Floras - primary resources for local research, linked directly to their vice-counties.

Periodical Archives: All back issues of Watsonia, Journal of Botany, and The Phytologist have officially moved to their new, permanent home on our main site.

Unlocking the Plants of the Past: An update from our current digitisation project, where Sam Thomas is working closely with our Vice-County Recorders to triage, digitize, and preserve unique historical datasets.

What will you learn about the wild past of your local area?
Explore the archive or make a donation: https://bsbi.org/blog/2026/07/unlocking-historical-botany

With special thanks to David Pearman for providing his incredible archive of files for this project.

12/07/2026

BSBI is proud to be a partner in the National Plant Monitoring Scheme.
Check out the latest NPMS Annual Report for articles on what NPMS data reveal about the future for Britain's native plants, and how the 16.8K plant records collected by volunteers last year are helping us understand more about the health of UK plant communities and habitats: www.npms.org.uk/sites/default/files/PDF/NPMS%20Annual%20report%202025%20Final.pdf

At a time of increased environmental pressure, volunteer-power comes to the rescue! NPMS volunteers are delivering crucial data to help us understand UK plant biodiversity & habitat health. Find out how in the new Annual Report: https://ow.ly/tphs50ZkChW