Results of the Plant Club Virtual BioBlitz
Our blog post on the results of the BioBlitz has now been published.
Thanks again for all your plant finds, and keep observing!
Our blog post on the results of the BioBlitz has now been published.
Thanks again for all your plant finds, and keep observing!
A big thank you to everyone who took part in the Plant Club BioBlitz! Over two weeks we made 722 observations of 310 species across the UK. Please feel free to continue agreeing with and identifying observations, this link will take you to those that still need identifying. Identifications which make Research Grade are made available to researchers all over the world through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Subscribe to the Natural History Museum Blog to be notified of results and highlights from the Plant Club BioBlitz.
Do you have feedback or ideas for future virtual BioBlitzes? Message Victoria Burton, Interim Project Coordinator @victoriajburton
It’s the last two days of the Plant Club BioBlitz – thanks to everyone who has taken part! There is still time to add your plant finds and ask friends and family to join in – the BioBlitz closes at midnight Sunday 9 August (BST).
We are pleased to see such a variety of locations and plants shared in our BioBlitz! There have been carparks in Portsmouth, garden plants, flora from London parks, and plants growing on clifftops in Cornwall and the Outer Hebrides.
For future events and other citizen science activities from the Natural History Museum keep an eye on our website. You can also read our blog posts which will include highlights of the Plant Club BioBlitz soon.
A lovely radio programme on urban flora and how we can appreciate it more was on BBC Radio 4 yesterday. You can listen online here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lf9v
There are over 3,000 species of wild plants in the UK, and many more grown in gardens and parks, so identifying them can be tricky. One of the great things about iNaturalist is that it can help identify plants for you using its computer vision technology, and there are lots of naturalists online that can help.
If you want to try identifying plants yourself, these guides can help:
Download free Spotter Sheets from Plantlife for the top plants to look for in August.
The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland has lots of identification resources for beginners and experts alike.
Discover five common urban trees and download a tree identification key.
Do you have ferns growing on walls near you? The OPAL guide to common urban wall ferns can help you tell them apart.
Post your plant photographs in the Natural History Museum’s Identification Service Facebook group.
Happy plant identification!
Welcome to the Plant Club Virtual BioBlitz! This BioBlitz runs until the 9th August as part of the Natural History Museum Family Festival.
Thanks for the contributions so far! Any plants are welcome, including ‘weeds’ growing in your garden or street, ferns, mosses and liverworts. If your plants are being grown deliberately please select the ‘captive/cultivated’ box. Check out our Blog post for inspiration on finding plants near you and a step-by-step on how to take part.
For more family friendly nature activities, visit Family Festival: Tune in to Nature with Pukka Herbs.
Happy plant finding!