Dr Ms eXtreme botanical birthday message!

It’s Dr M’s Birthday and he has been enjoying special Dr M birthday cookies lovingly hand-crafted by his devoted nieces:

A well as eating and drinking and partying, birthdays are times of celebration and reflection, and so to all his botanical students, colleagues, disciples and followers and indeed, the whole world, Dr M sends this birthday message of peace, love and eXtreme botanical joy:

1. Challenge yourself – to learn more plants and more about the plants, especially those in your local area.
2. Tell your friends – eXtreme botany is infectious, so infect your friends and loved ones with your botanical enthusiasms (in the nicest possible way of course, why not buy them a hand lens!).
3. Have fun – eXtreme botany is tough and challenging yes indeed, but above all it’s fun! And to prove the point here’s details of some upcoming eXtreme botanical events with Dr M in and around Reading:

13th April 19.30 – University of Reading’s Cafe Scientifique: Dr M will give his own take on the most worrying global pandemic that is “Plant Blindness”.  Cafe Scientifique is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. It is a forum for debating scientific issues and promoting public engagement with science. You don’t need to be a scientist (or a botanist!) to enjoy the evening – just come with an open and enquiring mind. Venue: Monroe’s Rib House, 61 St Mary’s Butts, Reading, RG1 2LG.

18th May – Fascination of Plants Day: FoPD is a growing international movement for and about all things green and wonderful on this planet of ours. At University of Reading Dr M and his students and colleagues are entering into the eXtreme botanical spirit of FoPD and, located outside the library building, they will be offering a plethora of botanical delights for all ages. The event is all day but you can come along for as little or as much as you want! There are three main events:

1. Fascinating plant exhibition, venue: outside the UoR library 10 am to 4 pm – hands-on fascinating botanical activities, in which  we turn the botanical spotlight on one fascinating, even rather puzzling plant (of which more will be revealed on the day). We tell its story from the origins in the fossil record, through its place in global plant diversity today, and finally we take a peek at the future status and impacts of human activities and climate change.
2. Fascinating plant walk, starting from the UoR library: there will be two opportunities to join our guided botanical walk, first at 12 noon and again at 2 pm. The guided walk will last about 45 minutes passing the plethora of plants which adorn the University of Reading Whiteknights campus and culminating in a dramatic re-enactment of a historical event of utmost botanical fascination,  not to be missed!
3. Fascinating plants for kids, venue: outside the UoR library a family event in which our resident botanists will entertain and amaze kids of all ages (from 5 to 95) with a host of plant puzzles, botanical brain-teasers and floral fernanigans (yes Dr M knows it’s not a word but it sounds botanical and fun and he couldn’t think of a better one!).

These events should provide plenty of bonkers botanical material for a new Dr M eXtreme botany video to follow this oldie (but goodie!):