BSBI New Year plant hunt

[Sum1Ls]

So it’s a bright and early start to botanising on Sunday 4th all the cause of citizen science. Hundreds of groups and individuals take part every year in the first four days of the year. The data is collected and analysed and shows changes in climate habitats and so on.

I’m organising one on my local Common. So far 26 people say they’re interested but as the temperature is forcast to be -°2C they will have to be hardy souls.

My friend Roy (retired head of vascular plsnts at the NHM) found 37 plants in flows on Tooting Common. I’m pretty sure we won’t find that many, but ten or more would be good.

I’ll report back later.

[Sum1Ls]

[Daisy]

Sum1, I think that will be an interesting, and possibly more successful plant hunt than you expect. Looking at how the seasons seem to be blending in our ordinary back gardens, I'm sure Mother Nature will have some surprises for you.

[Gemini]

I hope its not as cold as predicted Sum1 and there is a good turn out.

[Sum1Ls]

I hope it’s not as cold as predicted Sum1 and there is a good turn out.

-3°C is predicted. Brrrr

[Gemini]

-3°C is predicted. Brrrr

[Oma]

Not the same thing maybe , but we were saying just the other day , we have noticed a lot of weeds appearing on our drive this winter,
We never get them this time of the year but these seem quite hardy,
I wonder if it's the same thing Sum1 climate change ,

MILs lawn had daisy last week and dandelions,

[Sum1Ls]

So, eight citizen scientists braved the frost and chill and we spent two hours plant hunting. We found 14 plants in flower which is the average for the entire country, but as you can see from the report quoted below, there were 628 species recorded in the country as a whole.

In one way it’s a very impressive report, but actually, it’s very worrying as shows the rapid rate of climate change. We are heating up inexorably and the consequences don’t bear thinking about.

Here’s part of the BSBI summary of the results so far.

If you’re at all interested in wild plants there will be a group hunt somewhere near you next year. There are hundreds up and down the country and no expertise is needed as the botanists at the BSBI will I’d from a photograph.

‘So, what do we know so far? As I write, 1,642 surveys have been submitted - some carried out by individuals, some by groups of families and friends, and some as part of a record number of organised Group Hunts. If you are submitting results as part of a group, do remember to fill in the 'how many people in your group' field, so we can work out how many people took part this year. More than 21,000 unique plant records have been submitted so far, and 628 different species recorded. This is comparable with recent years - check out the table of total numbers over the years on our New Year Plant Hunt poster, exhibited at the British & Irish Botanical Conference in November. Although, as our friends at the Met Office have confirmed, 2025 was the warmest year on record, the recent cold snap will have knocked some plants back. But we'll know more in a week or so, once all the data have been submitted and analysed.‘

[Sum1Ls]

And this little one decided to join the plant hunt too,

[Oma]

Brave souls indeed Sum1 , but I imagine they enjoyed every minute, lovely that Mr Fox joined in 😁

[Daisy]

Sum1, 14 plants in flower at this time of year seems a lot, and as you say, it points to shifts in our climate. But over the years I've often noticed plants flowering out of 'their' season in the garden - sometime earlier, sometimes later. Did you see anything really unusual in flower?

How lovely to see the fox. Was it quite a youngster?

[Gemini]

I think that is quite a fair number considering the temperatures Sum1!