British and Irish Botanical Conference 2026

Everyone is welcome at the British & Irish Botanical Conference. You don't need to be an expert botanist or a member of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI). You just need to share our vision of a world where wild plants thrive and are valued.

A small registration fee (£10pp) has been applied this year towards the costs of putting on this event; the fee will not apply to students or speakers.

Please note the map and detailed instructions (below) about making your booking, accessing the venue, facilities on offer and which entrance to use when you arrive.

Important information for non-exhibitors

When booking your ticket, as well as booking with the BSBI, and unless you are an exhibitor or organiser, it is essential that you use this link to book your free entry ticket to the Natural History Museum (NHM) and choose your time slot. We suggest you book for either 10.15 or 10.30 to arrive for the start of the Conference. Booking a free timed ticket will help you avoid long queues. 

Provisional programme

09:30 Doors open for exhibitors

10:30 Event opens. A chance to chat with fellow plant-lovers, browse the wide diversity of exhibits and activities on offer, hear about the latest botanical research, join the BSBI website drop-in session, enjoy wild flower seed giveaways and test your ID skills in the vegetative ID quiz.

11:30-12:30 Talk Session 1: Building and celebrating our botanical community

Chair: Dr Sandy Knapp (NHM botanist & BSBI Trustee 2018-26)

• 11:30 Welcome and opening comments - Dr Sandy Knapp 
• 11:35 BSBI and Botanical University Challenge: Working together to support the next generation of botanists – Prof Paul Ashton (BSBI President 2024-26) and Dr Lauren Daly (Oxford Botanical Garden & Arboretum)
• 11:50 Building a native plant growers network to support the BSBI's Field Identification Skills Certificates - Dr Chantal Helm (BSBI Training Coordinator) 
• 12:05 Outstanding Contributions to Botany: the 2025 winners and how to nominate for 2026 
• 12:10 Botanical Photographer of the Year: entries and winners
• 12:15 Flash talks from exhibitors

12:30-13:45 Lunch break: Herbarium tours 1 and 2, lunch (refreshments available to purchase at NHM cafes or bring your own lunch) and another opportunity to browse the exhibits and chat to fellow plant-lovers.

13:45-14:30 Panel Discussion: What do we record, where, why and how? Should we include garden plants?

Chair: Kieran Heggs (Edge Hill University)

Guest Panellists:

• Deb Muscat (National Coordinator, Association of Local Environmental Records Centres) 
• Prof Katharina Dehnen-Schmutz (Plant Alert) 
• Jordan Bilsborrow (Royal Horticultural Society) 
• Dr Mark Spencer (BSBI Vice-County Recorder, Middlesex) 
• Dr Claire Carvell (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology)

14:30-15:45 Afternoon break: Herbarium tours 3 and 4, tea-break (refreshments available to purchase at NHM cafes) and a final opportunity to browse the exhibits and chat to fellow plant-lovers.

15:45-16:35 Talk Session 2: Highlighting botanical breadth: urban and rural botany

Chair: Julia Hanmer (BSBI Chief Executive)

• 15:45 Old colonies and new arrivals: how a rare saltmarsh sedge spreads and reproduces - Dr Jenn Clayton-Brown (Edge Hill University) 
• 16:00 Axiophytes: applications in conservation and a Red List for London - Dr Mark Spencer (BSBI Vice-County Recorder, Middlesex)
• 16:15 Wild Pavements - pavement plants and Urban Botany Walks – Dr Amanda Tuke (nature writer/ urban naturalist)
• 16:30 Thanks and closing comments  - Julia Hanmer

16:45 Meeting closes.

Booking your space: When booking your ticket, as well as booking with the BSBI, and unless you are an exhibitor or organiser, please also use this link to book your free entry ticket to the Museum and choose your time slot. Booking a free timed ticket will help you avoid long queues.

If you experience any difficulties booking online, please phone the main BSBI phone number between 9:00 and 17:30 Monday to Friday for assistance: +44 (0) 7404 231178.

Exhibits: Exhibitor space is available (at no extra cost) to anyone keen to share their research into the British and Irish flora. When you make your booking, please book an exhibitor ticket rather than a general admission ticket, and use the dropdown options to tell us your requirements. We will contact you separately, once you have booked, about access from 9.30 onwards. Exhibitors do not need to book a separate NHM timed entry slot, as we will be arranging for you to enter before the Museum opens for visitors. You will be sent an email with a QR code that you will need to bring with you in order to be booked into the Museum’s Visitor Management system, but we will provide more details nearer the time.

A list of exhibits and a floorplan will be provided ahead of the Conference. Note that this year, in response to feedback, we have extended the time between talk sessions to provide more opportunities for networking and browsing the exhibits. 

Herbarium tours: During the lunch break and afternoon tea-break, there will be an opportunity to join behind-the-scenes guided tours of two of the Museum's world famous herbaria: the British and Irish Herbarium and the Historical Collections Room. Pre-booking for this is essential and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Please register your interest by booking a separate ticket, for your preferred herbarium in your preferred timeslot, in addition to your general admission or exhibitor ticket. We will let you know nearer the time if you have secured a space.

Identification Help Table/John Poland’s Vegetative ID Quiz: please bring along any specimens you find difficult to identify and challenge some of the best botanists in the country: and test your own ID skills in our legendary Vegetative ID Quiz!

About the venue

Getting to the Conference: the Conference is being held in the Flett Lecture Theatre, on Floor 1 of the Red Zone in the Natural History Museum. The nearest Underground station is South Kensington, on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. The nearest bus stop is on Cromwell Road and is served by TFL bus routes 70. 74, N74 and N97. Please note that there is no parking on site.

For detailed instructions, please see the Museum's website: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/getting-here.html

On arrival: Please bring your BSBI booking email with you and use the Exhibition Road (East) entrance which will be open from 10am onwards. Once inside the Museum, look for a member of the NHM Visitor Team or a BSBI volunteer. Explain that you are booked in to attend the BSBI Botanical Conference and you will be directed to the Flett Theatre which is on Floor 1 of the East Wing (marked in blue on the right hand side of the 1st floor map here: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/content/dam/nhm-www/visit/map/Museum-map.pdf)

Please note that the NHM reserves the right to search visitors' bags at the museum's entrance.

Facilities at the Museum:

• Hearing loop
• Wheelchair access (lift)
• Accessible lavatories
• Calm zones

The Museum's website has more information about facilities: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/facilities.html and accessibility: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/access-at-south-kensington.html.

Refreshments: Attendees can use the museum’s cafés and restaurants for refreshments or you are welcome to bring your own lunch.

After the meeting we have a private room booked in a nearby pub, the Hoop & Toy, from 5pm onwards, so we can socialise over a drink and a bite to eat before we head home. If you’re planning to join us, and you would be very welcome, then you may want to allow for this when making your travel arrangements.

Accessibility: If you have any questions about accessibility or specific needs that would help you take part comfortably, please feel free to contact us on meetings@bsbi.org or +44 (0) 7404 231178.

Filming and photographs: We plan to record the talks and upload them later to the BSBI YouTube channel – we would also like to film and/or photograph attendees listening to the talks and viewing the exhibits, so we can use the footage and images for publicity purposes. Please let us know when you book if you are happy/ do not wish to be included in any such footage or photographs. We also encourage you to take photographs at the event and will set up a folder where these can be shared.

Safety and booking terms: Please read this guidance for participants at BSBI events carefully, before booking.

The BSBI has a culture of mutual respect, and takes seriously the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in our events. We want everyone at our events to enjoy themselves, and we expect everyone to act in a respectful manner towards others at all times. We will not tolerate harassment, discrimination or inappropriate behaviour of any kind, and will treat any reported incidents seriously.