21/04/2026
In March, The Dead Botanist Society hosted a workshop on botanical recording that featured botanist David Elston, Consultant Ecologist Jake Brendish, and the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI) Outreach Officer Aileen Meek. The workshop covered navigating the BSBI website and its resources, including the distribution database and Plant Atlas 2020, as well as using their new recording app.
David, who is the Vice County Recorder for South Aberdeenshire and a fountain of botanical knowledge, guided the group on how to create meaningful botanical records. He explained what to look for, where to find it, and how to approach the recording process. He also provided advice on whom to contact for identification queries.
The workshop, partially funded by the QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award (QUARTILES DLA), was both informative and practical; everyone had the opportunity to submit a record, and attendees left feeling excited to access these valuable resources and apply the skills they had learned.
To further build on these skills, the Society has organised an introduction to habitat classification workshop, led by Jake Brendish, which is scheduled for next month. The Society aims to collaborate with local recording groups to establish an annual workshop and survey program that will help students acquire valuable field skills and integrate into the broader botanical community.
📸 Photo credits: Amy Beach, DBS Treasurer
1️⃣ Biodiversity Centre: Stuart, Danny, and Patty
2️⃣ Cruickshank Arboretum: David demonstrating the App
3️⃣ Kallan looking for key identification features
4️⃣ Oz looking for key identification features
5️⃣ Guidebook gifted to the society by David
