Counting species on Edinburgh’s streets
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This year our pavements and roadsides are greener than usual. Some of them are very green indeed – under COVID-19 lockdown the... Read More
Cardamine pratensis – 1st June 2020 – Cuckooflower
Cardamine pratensis is an herbaceous perennial with clusters of 4-petalled flowers that appear between April and June. They are pink, white or... Read More
Hybrid Swarms of Geum
Coming together but keeping apart: Genetic distancing in Geum Walk along many country roads in May and June and you might chance... Read More
Senecio squalidus – 24 May 2020 – Oxford Ragwort
Senecio squalidus is a member of the Asteraceae (Compositae) – the same family as dandelions and daisies. You can watch a short... Read More
By Leaves We Live
A perspective by Jonathan Silvertown, University of Edinburgh (c) Jonathan Silvertown “By leaves we live. Some people have strange ideas that they... Read More
Polyploid Harebells – a commentary on Julia Wilson’s recent paper
Very many plant species have polyploid forms, in which more than one paired set of chromosomes are present in all the cells.... Read More
Ponds and Sponge Cities
You may have admired the pond at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. It is an attractive feature, visited by many people including... Read More
Urban Flora Lockdown Diary, May 2nd 2020
Whilst we humans are locked down, the urban flora is unfettered, and seems to be looking better than usual. It’s been cold... Read More
City Streets, 8th May 2020
City streets are not generally thought of as habitats, but a walk down almost any one of them in Edinburgh will produce... Read More
Veronica arvensis – 10 May 2020 – Wall Speedwell
Veronica arvensis is a very common native plant, often overlooked, and frequently found in the crack between pavement and wall. Its tiny... Read More




