Wednesday, 4th December, 7:30pm

Dr Richard Milne, “Photographing the entire Flora of the British Isles.”

Richard Milne returns again to speak to us, on Wednesday, about our Flora. The British Isles have around 1700 native vascular plant species, and thousands of aliens. For beginners, learning the plant identifications is a daunting task. Richard sees the key to learning is to recognise plant families. He developed a method of teaching for the students at Edinburgh University, but global events suddenly forced him to create an online version. This in turn led to an astonishing quest to photograph every plant species found wild across Britain. We will hear how far he’s got in 3 years, he will recount some of the botany adventures and see the beginning of the finished product.

Richard Milne began collecting around the age of 7, and was probably always destined to study plant science. He was an undergrad at Bristol University, which was followed by a 5 month botanical expedition to South America, and then to a PhD on molecular systematics of invasive Rhododendron ponticum populations. This was followed by a series of attempts to secure funding for self-designed research projects, eventually leading to a paper on the rhododendron biogeography and a new type of hybrid zone. He came to Edinburgh University with a research fellowship but soon became established as a lecturer and has won 4 awards from his students for his teaching. These days most of his research output comes from collaborations with several research groups in China, still mostly biogeography of hybridisation. In his spare time he writes novels and hunts plants.