Calendar of botanical events in Hampshire
Please note that many organisations (including the Hampshire Flora Group and the Wildlife Trust) now require prior booking for all events, and you should check that the meeting accepts guests if you are not a member of the hosting organisation (if they do, they may expect a donation).
BSBI Recording sessions: Both Tony and Martin welcome a few people to assist on any session in the field.
February 2025
Sat 1 February 2025 10:00am-12:00pm
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Field trip: Winter trees and their importance to wildlife
Freemantle Lake Park, Southampton. Spend a relaxing morning learning about the winter trees and wildlife of Freemantle Lake Park. See Wildlife Trust Events Calendar for details.
Sat 1 February 2025 2:00pm- 3:30pm
Alton Natural History Society Talk: Swampin' - Carnivorous plants and pine prairies of the south-east USA
Speaker: Dr Max Blake. Join him on a tour of the ecology of bogs and wetlands in the southeastern USA, focusing on fascinating carnivorous trumpet pitcher plants and the majestic longleaf pine. Details in ANHS Winter programme
Sat 15 February 2025 2:00pm- 4:00pm
Southampton Natural History Society Field trip: Southampton Old Cemetery - ID of evergreen trees and conifers
Leader: Phil Budd. A continuation of last years walk in which we looked at many varieties, especially the Cypress family. Details in SNHS Winter programme
March 2025
Thu 13 March 2025 7:30pm- 9:30pm
Ringwood Natural History Society Talk: Winners and losers in the changing Hampshire flora
Speaker: Martin Rand. Details in RNHS Winter programme
Sat 15 March 2025 2:00pm- 4:00pm
Southampton Natural History Society Field trip: Peartree Green - Early flora and insects
Leader: Phil Budd. A walk looking at early emerging wildflowers and insects. Details in SNHS Winter programme
Sun 16 March 2025 10:00am-12:30pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Tregould's Copse and Sky's Wood, Ampfield
Leader: Martin Rand. This trip will take in the best Wild Daffodil population in the area, and we shall also aim to record anything else
seen flowering at this time. Details in Autumn 2024 Flora News
Sat 22 March 2025 2:00pm- 4:00pm
Southampton Natural History Society Field trip: Southampton Old Cemetery - early spring flowers
Leader: Phil Budd. Looking at naturalised spring bulbs and early native spring flora. Details in SNHS Winter programme
Thu 27 March 2025 11:00am
Ringwood Natural History Society Field trip: Mark Ash Wood
Leader: Bill Syratt. Mosses and lichens. Details in RNHS Winter programme
April 2025
Wed 2 April 2025 11:00am
Ringwood Natural History Society Field trip: North Poulner Lakes
Leader: Christine Storey. Spring flowers including wild daffodils. Details in RNHS Winter programme
Tue 8 April 2025 5:30pm- 8:00pm
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Winters Hill, Dursley / Upham
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad in a mixed pastoral / agricultural landscape. Evening meeting. Contact Martin for details
Sun 13 April 2025 1:30pm- 4:30pm
Alton Natural History Society Field trip: Trees of Blackmoor Arboretum
Leaders: Chris Webb and William Selborne. By kind permission of William Selborne, a 1-2 mile walk looking at a collec@on of trees, many exotic, planted near Blackmoor House and beyond. Generally flat ground, with some banks to climb and descend. Details in ANHS Spring/Summer programme
Wed 16 April 2025 10:00am- 1:00pm
Alton Natural History Society Field trip: Geology and plants of Selborne
Leader: Dr June Chatfield. A circuit looking at Spring wildflowers and local geology including in building stone. May be muddy in places. Details in ANHS Spring/Summer programme
Tue 22 April 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Little Somborne
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad around the Saxon church on chalk farming land. Contact Martin for details
Sun 27 April 2025 2:00pm- 5:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Mottisfont woodland
Leader: Martin Rand. This trip will look at Woodrush species and hybrids, and record other spring flora.
Tue 29 April 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Blackpits Wood area, Lockerley
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad on National Trust woodlands and adjoining countryside. Contact Martin for details
May 2025
Thu 8 May 2025 6:00pm- 8:30pm
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Mount Down and Pitt Down, Farley
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying tracksides on two under-recorded monads on chalk farmland. Contact Martin for details
Sat 10 May 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: West Porchester
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad: low-lying coast, secondary woodland, amenity grassland, suburbia. Contact Martin for details
Sun 11 May 2025 10:00am- 5:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Hayling Island seafront
Leader: Tristan Norton. Plants of coastal grassland.
Tue 13 May 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Compton Down
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad on farming land and rough grassland on the chalk. Contact Martin for details
Tue 20 May 2025 11:00am
Ringwood Natural History Society Field trip: Shatterford and Bishop's Dyke, New Forest
A walk for raptors and plants. Details in RNHS Winter programme
Fri 23 May 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Chibden Bottom area
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad on the New Forest western commons; mostly heathland with some springs and step mires. Contact Martin for details
June 2025
Sat 7 June 2025 10:00am- 3:00pm
Cumberland House Museum Workshop: Grass identification
Leader: Phil Budd. Open to all: booking advised, cost £15. Learn how to identify some of the more commonly seen grass species in the UK using keys and plant specimens. See Cumberland House Facebook page
Sat 7 June 2025 9:30am-12:30pm
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Course: Wildflower Identification
Leader: Susan Simmonds. St Catherine's Hill Nature Reserve, Winchester. Spend a relaxing morning with Susan Simmonds learning how to identify wildflowers on this lovely chalk downland nature reserve. See Wildlife Trust Events Calendar for details.
Sat 7 June 2025 10:00am- 4:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Workshop: Getting started with a field guide, Shawford, Winchester
Leader: Martin Rand. This is an outdoor workshop (weather permitting) particularly aimed at beginners and near-beginners wanting
to develop their skills in using a handbook to identify plants rigorously. We shall be using the recently published WILDGuide British and Irish Wild Flowers and Plants: a Pocket Guide as our ‘textbook’ and the emphasis will be on the processes (observation and careful following of a procedure) involved in getting a good determination. Details in Autumn 2024 Flora News
Fri 13 June 2025 5:30pm- 8:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Ipley and Applemore area, New Forest
Leader: Tristan Norton. Plants of humid heathland and ponds.
Sat 14 June 2025 10:00am- 4:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Shortheath Pond and Common
Leader: Tony Mundell. Details in Autumn 2024 Flora News
Mon 16 June 2025 9:00am- 5:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Malshanger Estate
Leader: Tristan Norton. Surveying a rich arable flora.
Sat 28 June 2025 10:00am- 3:00pm
Cumberland House Museum Workshop: Tree identification
Leader: Phil Budd. Open to all: booking advised, cost £15. Learn how to identify some of the common tree species in the UK using keys and plant specimens. See Cumberland House Facebook page
July 2025
Sat 5 July 2025 - Sun 6 July 2025 10:00am- 4:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Workshop: Grass idenitification
Leaders: Martin Rand and Andy Cross. This full weekend workshop will include bench workshops at The Wildlife Trust's Study Centre at Testwood Lakes and fieldwork sessions. Details in Autumn 2024 Flora News
Tue 15 July 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Blackpits Wood area, Lockerley
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad on National Trust woodlands and adjoining countryside. Contact Martin for details
Tue 22 July 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Little Somborne
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad around the Saxon church on chalk farming land. Contact Martin for details
Thu 24 July 2025 6:00pm- 8:30pm
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Mount Down and Pitt Down, Farley
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying tracksides on two under-recorded monads on chalk farmland. Contact Martin for details
Tue 29 July 2025 6:00pm- 8:30pm
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Winters Hill, Dursley / Upham
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad in a mixed pastoral / agricultural landscape. Evening meeting. Contact Martin for details
August 2025
Sat 9 August 2025 9:45am- 1:00pm
Alton Natural History Society Field trip: Itchen Stoke Mill water meadows and the River Itchen
Leader: Isobel Girvan. A walk through private land along the River Itchen, a beautiful chalk stream, and historic water meadows, observing plants and wildlife of all sorts. Details in ANHS Spring/Summer programme
Sat 9 August 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: West Porchester
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad: low-lying coast, secondary woodland, amenity grassland, suburbia. Contact Martin for details
Tue 12 August 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Compton Down
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad on farming land and rough grassland on the chalk. Contact Martin for details
Sun 17 August 2025 10:00am- 3:30pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Berry Wood, New Forest
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a trip to record a recently under-recorded monad (1km square) in a rather remote part of the Forest. There is ancient wood-pasture, forestry plantation, heathland, some small mires and woodland streams. Details in Autumn 2024 Flora News
Tue 19 August 2025
BSBI Recording Recording trip: Chibden Bottom area
Leader: Martin Rand. This is a personal trip for a limited number of people and you come entirely at your own risk. Surveying an under-recorded monad on the New Forest western commons; mostly heathland with some springs and step mires. Contact Martin for details
September 2025
Fri 5 September 2025 5:30pm- 8:00pm
Hampshire Flora Group Field trip: Cadnam area, New Forest
Leader: Tristan Norton. Plants of grazed commons and wetland.