GEM TOES-
CRICHTON

Locating plants

We started this project during the early days of lockdown to create a focus on overlooked flora on our doorsteps. Now that travel is much easier, we would still encourage you to not make plant collecting trip, and instead focus on plants close to home which you could have accessed during the lockdown. 

We actively encourage you to use weeds to make your prints. So try to look out for the plants that you might ordinarily pull up, discard or walk past and not notice! 

Learning more about plants 

You can identify, explore and share your observations of plants using Pl@ntNet which allows you to identify plants with pictures! There is also a free mobile app!  

The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland run ‘Wild Flower Hour’ every Sunday 8-9pm on Twitter. Hundreds of people share photographs of wild or naturalised plants they've spotted in bloom across Britain and Ireland during the previous week.  

Use the hashtag #wildflowerhour or - if you don't want to take part, you just want to see what other people are sharing - then click on the link to see which plants other people have spotted and shared via Twitter. 

You can also follow Wildflower Hour posts on Facebook or on Instagram. (Just add the hashtag #wildflowerID to your tweet to summon help from a friendly botanist.) 

Books on British Flora

• New Flora of the British Isles (Fourth Edition) by Clive Stace. Buy here.

• The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) - How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland by Francis Rose. Buy here.

Plant Blindness

• Why 'plant blindness' matters — and what you can do about it
• Are humans really blind to plants? 
• Overcoming plant blindness in science, education, and society
• Attention “Blinks” Differently for Plants and Animals
• Beyond Plant Blindness - Seeing The Importance Of Plants For A Sustainable World
• ‘Plant blindness’ is a real thing: why it’s a real problem too
• Plant blindness and conservation implications

Other useful resources

• Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI)
• Field Studies Council (FSC)
• County Wildlife Trusts
• Plantlife
• Wild Flower Society (WFS)
• Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) 
• Local natural history societies often have botanical groups. There are some suggestions here, or try an internet search or your local library!