Welcome to the blog of the Botanical Society of Scotland
We launched in May 2020. We wanted to provide a focal point for members, in view of the cancellation of our usual programme of visits and lectures. Through this blog, we are hoping to supplement the information available on our main website, our Facebook pages and our News publication.
So far, we have had a steady flow of blogs, and we introduced ‘Plant of the Week’ in which we feature a species which you may easily find on your walks. Feel free to submit a blog article to us, preferably with at least one image. Send us a message through the contact form and we will get back to you.
Our main field activity at present is to gather data for our Urban Flora Project (https://www.botanical-society-scotland.org.uk/Urban_Flora_of_Scotland), so part of the blog will be about this, and we hope to encourage more of you to participate.
To help newcomers, we have also added a LEARN page, which will be further developed in the coming weeks and we hope will be a valuable resource.
Don’t forget, our website (https://www.botanical-society-scotland.org.uk/) is useful for basic information about us and provides access for our members to our BSS News and our international journal Plant Ecology and Diversity. Our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/botsocscot/ is enjoyed by many people.
Plant of the Week – 19th April 2021 – Calloria neglecta
Hundreds of fungi are actively recycling last season’s discarded plant material. Here’s one. It looks like a squashed tangerine in miniature.
Plant of the Week – 12th April 2021 – Ramsons (Allium ursinum)
Following on from last week’s Plant of the Week, we look at another member of the Allium family: ramsons, Allium ursinum, currently well on its way to full leaf and soon to come into flower.
Plant of the Week – 5th April 2021 – Few-flowered Leek (or Few-flowered Garlic) – Allium paradoxum
Maria Chamberlain recalls seeing this species over 50 years ago when it was quite rare. It has become a common invader of woodlands and gardens.
Plant of the Week – 29th March 2021 – Twinflower (Linnaea borealis)
This iconic species is still rare, but recent observations suggest it may be on the increase. Do look out for it.
Plant of the week – 22 March 2021- Lathraea clandestina purple toothwort, clandestine
If you go down to the River Esk today you may be in for a visual surprise. At the base of an alder, crack willow or poplar on the river bank there may be a startling carpet of intense purple flowers with the exotic appearance of an orchid, but stemless, emerging straight out of the ground.
Plant of the Week – 15th March 2021 – Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)
To walk in the native pinewood is uplifting, it has spiritual appeal. Pineforests and the wildlife therein are ‘jewels in the crown’ of Scotland’s biodiversity,
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