Dr M looked out of his window and notices – it’s raining again! Roger Brugge of the Meteorology Department at University of Reading, puts the recent rains in context: “after a dry start to December 2013, a total of 165.3 mm (roughly 6.5 inches) of rain was recorded in the 28 days ending on 8 January 2014.”
Dr M’s mission to discover the best plant ID aids continues, and recently stumbled upon (for that is how the internet often works!) a nice post by Michelle Slatella on the US Gardenista website reviewing apps for plant ID.
Dr M is particularly fond of social media (at least those he understands how to use!) for communicating his passions for field botany and plant ID to a wider audience, and increasingly to young people. He was therefore delighted to find, via the Annals of Botany (AoB) blog listed on Louise Marsh’s BSBI publicity and outreach blog, a link to a great lecture by
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Dr M loves it when his students work gets published! Last month it happened again when Amy Denness had her MSc Plant Diversity dissertation work on the taxonomy of the non-native invasive species Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) published.
The BSBI 2013/2014 New Year’s Day Plant Hunt is over and the results announced, this set Dr M thinking… why not try out this super eXtreme botanical concept on the University of Reading Campus…?
Dr M loves it when this happens! Stumbling upon some writing which leaves him speechless, thinking: “Oh my! What eXtreme creative botanical mind was at work there?”
Dr M’s occasional series of guest blogs continues this Boxing Day with ethnobotanist Susanne Masters on seeking orchids in Madagascar – the hard way…
Dr M wishes a Merry Christmas to all his followers! Dr M has recently announced a World Exclusive: the first eXtreme botanical party game: eXtreme Carpology! Dr M has already posted the answers to eXtreme Carpology Part 1, but the video below is Dr M’s Christmas Gift to his followers: the answers to Part 2 of eXtreme Carpology!
‘Tis the season for jolly party games and Dr M is proud to present the World eXclusive botanical party game: eXtreme Carpology: seeds, fruits and flowers! Created for the BSBI Annual Exhibition Meeting in November 2013 by Christine and Waheed, two of Dr M’s Plant Diversity MSc students at University of Reading.
Dr M thought it about time he went Christmas shopping. At least that was his plan! But it was absolutely shocking! You see, Dr M is very much out of his comfort zone in the town, there is so little Poaceae around for a start! OK a sprig of Poa annua here and there, but that apart, almost nothing for ages! And certainly not worth going into the Mall,
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