Outing to Hurlethill, Glasgow Local Nature Reserve

On 27th July we had another opportunity to join Glasgow Natural History Society on their outing to Hurlethill. It had been designated as a Local Nature Reserve by Glasgow City Council in January this year.  Hurlethill offers a variety of habitats including semi-natural grassland, beech woods, oak woods, pine woods and wildflower meadows with ponds. Continue reading "Outing to Hurlethill, Glasgow Local Nature Reserve"

Book review: The Lives of Lichens: A Natural History by Lucking & Spribille

Review by Craig Postlethwaite This is the first general, wide audience book onlichens that has been published for nearly 25 years. The older books (Understanding Lichens by Baronand New Naturalist 86: Lichens by Gibbons) werewritten before modern techniques such as DNAsequencing allowed a greater understanding of the complexities of lichens so a new book isContinue reading "Book review: The Lives of Lichens: A Natural History by Lucking & Spribille"

Gay Christie MBE– a remarkable woman

For all the time that I have know Gay, it was always Gay and Andy, inseparable in everything they did. Gay and Andy were committed active members of the Paisley Natural History Society. In the mid seventies when I arrived in Paisley Museum I soon became good friends with them. They were regulars at ourContinue reading "Gay Christie MBE– a remarkable woman"

British Lichen Society outing to Neilston Pad

There is a BLS Strathclyde Group outing on Thursday 15th August at Neilston Pad. They are meeting at 10:00 at the car park on the bend of Harelaw Road, near the pigging station (Grid Ref NS 472 543). This is an all-day (until 15:00ish anyway) event where they will be looking to record rather thanContinue reading "British Lichen Society outing to Neilston Pad"

PNHS outing to Cashel Forest

6 July 2024 The weather looked promising as we made our way to the eastern Loch Lomond banks for the postponed Cashel Forest trip. Although the temperature was rather low for July, it proved to be a lovely day with only a short shower at lunch time. Society members were treated to a tour ofContinue reading "PNHS outing to Cashel Forest"

Book review: The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole

Review by Simon Stuart (originally published in  the Native Woodland Discussion Group Newsletter, and re-used with kind permission) In this eagerly anticipated book, the author gives an often very personal but informative overview of the current state of Britain’s temperate rainforests, discusses their historical (and current) decline and the main factors affecting their survival andContinue reading "Book review: The Lost Rainforests of Britain by Guy Shrubsole"

Glow-worm weekend on Isle of Cumbrae

22-23 June 2024 Fintry Bay We arrived on the Isle of Cumbrae at lunch time and headed over to the Fintry Bay Café, with beautiful views over the Clyde Estuary. After a delicious lunch we made our way along the coast towards Millport and discovered the walking track uphill to Millport Golf Club. Our routeContinue reading "Glow-worm weekend on Isle of Cumbrae"

Beginners’ Botany with Michael Philip at Thornly Park

A group of 7 members gathered for this evening walk on 5th June, to learn about botany in the grassland adjacent to South Avenue, Paisley. It was led by Michael Philip, Vice-county Co-recorder for Lanarkshire (vc77) and co-ordinator of the Renfrewshire Vice-county (vc76) Botany Network. Rather than repeat the same route as last year, weContinue reading "Beginners’ Botany with Michael Philip at Thornly Park"

Neilston Pad outing

On 25 May 2024, a group of twelve, including insect and plant specialists from both Glasgow and Paisley Natural History Societies, gathered in the south-west car park at Neilston Pad.  Known locally as ‘The Pad’, it is an old volcanic plug surrounded by several dams and offers a variety of habitats to explore.  The areaContinue reading "Neilston Pad outing"