©Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Start the year by discovering which wildflowers are blooming near you! The BSBI New Year Plant Hunt, which takes part from 1st - 4th January, is a fun, easy citizen science project that helps us track how our wild plants are responding to a changing climate.
Every plant that you can find in bloom will help build up a clearer picture of how nature is changing and what this might mean for all our wildlife – and taking part is a great way to shake off the midwinter cobwebs and connect with nature.
©Amy Lewis
©Fergus Ray Murray
©Neil Wyatt
You don’t need any special botanical knowledge or experience and you can take part nationwide!
Head out for a short walk (up to 3 hours) any time between 1st and 4th January
Use the free BSBI Recording App to record any wild or naturalised plants (but not garden plants) that you can find in bloom
There are some handy spotter sheets you can download, showing you the Top Ten and Top Twenty plants you’re most likely to see in your area.
You can also just upload a photo on the App - there’s a Support Desk and a team of BSBI botanical experts waiting to help you with ID.
You can head out with family or friends, go solo or you’ll be made very welcome if you join one of the NYPH Group Hunts taking place across the country.
Results from recent New Year Plant Hunts are helping BSBI scientists understand more about how wild plants, from the Channel Isles to Shetland and from Kent to Donegal, are responding to changes in autumn and winter weather patterns.
But we need your help to deepen that understanding. By joining the New Year Plant Hunt, you’ll be making a real difference to vital climate research – and helping to shape the conservation actions that come out of that research.
This 12 Days Wild, embrace winter's beauty, learn more about our wonderful wildflowers and help uncover nature's response to our changing world. Visit BSBI's website for spotter sheets, the BSBI Recording App, details of group hunts and tips on flower-hunting.
