Diary of Botanical Events in and around Hampshire

Here is a guide to some of the events in the county and nearby with a strong botanical slant.

Please don't rely on the map that Google provides as a link from the individual diary entries - they've not had customised pinpoints added to them, and Google has some strange ideas about where some of the places are. Use the information in the diary entry, or consult the people or organisation managing the event where this isn't provided.

Key to abbreviations on listings

• [BSBI]: BSBI National Meeting. Events are open to members and their guests. Booking usually essential: consult the BSBI Yearbook or the BSBI national web site for full details.
• [HBIC]: Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre. See the HBIC web site for details.
• [HFG]: Hampshire Flora Group. Events are open to members and guests / visitors. Membership is open to all Hampshire Wildlife Trust members and is free; contact the Hampshire Wildlife Trust to join. Guests and visitors are also welcome at all meetings (subject to limitations on numbers and any special conditions listed for the event, and without AGM voting rights), and can download newsletters free here or from the Wildlife Trust site. A small donation from non-members at meetings towards the work of the Trust will be appreciated. Booking is required for workshops, and for some meetings on private land. Consult the latest copy of Flora News for full details.
• [HREC]: Hampshire Recorders' outings. These are informal trips out for recording purposes, made by the BSBI's vice-county recorders, often in support of a national monitoring scheme. You are welcome to join them by prior arrangement, and entirely at your own risk. Contact them by email for more details, and where possible to arrange shared transport. Sometimes these have to be rearranged at short notice, so you will need to be readily contactable up to the day.
• [HIWWT]: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Prior booking occasionally needed; a donation to the work of the Trust is usually asked for. For full details see the quarterly Trust Wildlife Diary, or the Events page on their web site.
• [SNHS]: Southampton Natural History Society. Events are open to members; membership is just £6 a year. See their web site for full details of events and membership.
• [WBG]: Wessex Bryology Group. A key aim of the group is to encourage those who are new to the subject to become more experienced and confident at identifying bryophytes. There is no formal membership or constitution and each person goes out at his/her own risk. The only equipment needed is a hand lens (x10 or x20) and some paper packets for collecting specimens. Many of the sites we plan to visit include wet and muddy areas so boots are advisable. We will usually eat a packed lunch on site. All meetings start at 10.30am and finish between 3pm and 4pm.
  Contact: Andrew Branson tel: 01747 838223; e-mail andrew(at)britishwildlife.com or Sharon Pilkington tel: 01225 775945; e-mail: sharon.pilkington1(at)btinternet.com