Did you notice this last weekend (mid April) was the first real sign that the countryside is awakening from its winter slumbers and the trees are coming into glorious leaf? Certainly Dr M saw that it was so in and around Reading and across into Wales. That transition – from the starkly beautiful bare twigs on tree and hedge to the emerging haze green
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After the initial inspiration and what seems like an eternity of planning by Dr M (University of Reading) and John Warren (IBERS Aberystwyth) the great day arrived, 10/03/16 and the first Botanical University Challenge ever in the Jodrell lecture Theatre at RBG Kew. Five fabulous teams – Reading, Aberystwyth, Edge Hill, Southampton and Kew – with botanical knowledge, skill and enthusiasm in spades, prepared
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The first ever Botanical University Challenge is nigh! Hosted by self-confessed @BotanyGeek and Kew alumnus James Wong BUC 2016 will be held in the Jodrell Laboratory at Kew from 2 pm Thursday 10th March 2016. As the final teams swot up and Dr M and colleagues John Warren and Laura Rozario make the final preparations and our host @botanygeek hones his botanical repartee, Dr M
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BOTANICAL UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE 2016 This is the brain-child of Dr M (School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading) John Warren (IBERS, University of Aberystwyth), and Paul Ashton (Edge Hill). The first ever Botanical University Challenge Will take place at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, hosted by James Wong, 2 pm Thursday 10th March 2016 Jodrell Lecture Theatre (Jodrell Laboratory building) TW9 3DS. Preview: Try your luck –
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YOUR STARTER FOR TEN: Haver you ever wished Paxman would ask more botany questions on University Challenge? Well, here’s the answer: Dr M and colleagues John Warren (Aberystwyth) and Paul Ashton (Edge Hill) have masterminded a brand new botanical concept for 2016: Botanical University Challenge! A botanical version of the ever popular BBC formula which will be hosted by James Wong at the Royal Botanic
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It was only week two of the new academic term but that didn’t stop Dr M launching his new students on the University of Reading twin MSc’s Plant Diversity and SISS into an eXtreme botanical quiz! If you missed it stop now and go check it out here, then come back and check below for the answers! The answers: 1. Dangly ball-like fruit of London Plane, Platanus x hispanica.
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So once again a new botanical term has dawned and Dr M’s eager new MSc students (pictured above) have arrived at the University of Reading to study on the twin MSc’s: Plant Diversity and SISS. And from the four corners of the globe they come, well to be precise from Britain, Ireland, Brazil, China, France and Saudi Arabia, not bad going though! They were
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OK, Listen up plant lovers and botanophiles alike! Stuff like this really doesn’t happen that often, I mean, when did you last have a chance to attend a Dr M Botanical course? Like never, or at least oh so rarely! We are talking hen’s teeth, we really are! So, come on down to London town and join the botanical love and joy at Dr M’s
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Have you tried Dr M’s spot test from the BES/EFL workshop in Hyde Park? If not check it out here have a go then come back for the answers! Check the pictures against the answers below, give yourself 2 marks if you got the answer correct. If you didn’t quite get the answer correct but were part way there you can still get a mark,
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Recently Dr M and colleague Alastair Culham gave a presentation on creative approaches to teaching plant ID to the BES/EFL workshop in Hyde Park – as Alastair Culham has said in his account of this event (here), “…the audience didn’t know what hit them – two plant ID tests in 30 minutes!” Regular visitors will already know this and you can see Dr M’s summary here.
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