Dr M Goes Wild

Two young women from Team Plantastic Five, University College Dublin, and Team Pain in the Grass, University of Portsmouth. Team slides, QR code for video of event on YouTube.

🌱🌾🌺🌷🌿🌍🪳 Result of team name competition announced at Botanical University Challenge 2025. Winner was Team 'Plantastic Five', University College Dublin. Runner-up Team 'Pain in the Grass', University of Portsmouth. All teams think of such great names! @drmgoeswild.bsky.social

🌱🌾🌺🌷🌿🌍🪳 Student Amy Beach, studying Plant and Soil Science at University of Aberdeen - and in team winning Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025 - on what got her into Botany. Influence of father, gardening and being around nature. @drmgoeswild.bsky.social

Glass house full of plants and people looking at them. Photo by Laura Bennetto/BUC.

🌱🌾🌍🌏🌎🌳🌿🌲 What better way to explore a glasshouse full of exotic plants than with one of its curators? Part of workshop at Third Student Botany Festival 2025 in Cambridge University Botanic Garden @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social @drmgoeswild.bsky.social #BUC2025

Lecture theatre with audience. Photo Laura Bennetto.

🌱🌾🌺🏵️🌳🌿🌏 Amazing number of enthusiastic students keen on #botany at Third Student Botany Festival; 94 from UK and Ireland. Thinking about #careerswithplants & here listening to @cieem.bsky.social @bsbicountries.bsky.social @spun.earth @drmgoeswild.bsky.social #BUC2025

Final outcome of Botanical University Challenge 2025. Logos of the 31 universities & institutions that entered teams. Background picture of part of Cambridge University Botanic Garden where the semifinals and final were held. Four semifinalists were Universities of Aberdeen, Reading, Plymouth and Eden Project University Centre. Overall winner was team from University of Aberdeen with team from University of Plymouth close runner up. Also logos of our Gold-level sponsor, Gatsby Foundation and Silver-level sponsors New Phytologist Foundation, The Company of Biologists, University of Cambridge & Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Also grateful to our many Bronze-level sponsors and many others who supported the competition and 3rd Student Botany Festival that followed with their help-in-kind, knowledge and assistance.

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🧪🌳🐝 What was the result of Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025? 31 teams from UK and Ireland entered. Final overall winner was amazing team from University of Aberdeen who led in almost all the rounds. Runner-up was University of Plymouth team, so close behind.

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄 #BUC2025 Final contest for 2025 champions in Botanical University Challenge coming up soon - 20 August! Who will ask the questions? Who will win? Streamed YouTube www.youtube.com/@BotanicalUn... All earlier rounds there already!

🌱🌲🌻🌾🌿🧪 #BUC2025 Botanical University Challenge 2025. See more about the 4 amazing teams in the semifinal - Reading, Aberdeen, Eden Project University Centre, Plymouth - and what they are studying. Which one will be the overall winner? Watch YouTube from 13:30 BST Weds 20 August.

A really fun way to get involved with plant science! Good luck to all the finalists, we will see you there!

Map UK and Ireland with locations where 31 teams come from. Crests of institutions of the teams - and of the 4 in the final. Dates of the final starting 13:30 BST Wednesday 20 August Streamed YouTube @BotanicalUniversityChallenge

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌿31 teams entered Botanical University Challenge 2025 - and 4 are left for the semifinal on 20 August. Get ready to discover which is the final winner!

🌱🌾🌍🧪🍄🌺🥕Something different to do with vegetables; instead of a meal, make musical instruments! Activity at the 3rd Student Botany Festival in Cambridge University Botanic Garden 20 August. @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social

List of all financial support and help in kind given to Botanical University Challenge 2025. Includes Gold level Gatsby; Silver level University of Cambridge, New Phytologist Foundation and The Company of Biologists; Bronze level Botanical Society of Scotland Ecology Co-op Private donor Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh SLR Consulting The Botanist Foundation The Wild Flower Society University of Bristol University of Cambridge, Plant Sciences University of Reading, Biological Sciences University of York Other funding and support; BSBI Castle Hill Ecology Crop Sciences Centre University Cambridge Durham University Edgehill University Field Studies Council Trinity College Dublin University College Dublin University of Aberdeen University of Leeds University of Plymouth Also many individual people who have generously given their time and expertise to this wonderful event.

Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025, supported by many organisations to bring this contest together. We are also grateful to the many individuals who have generously given their time and expertise. @slcuplants.bsky.social @newphyt.bsky.social @biologists.bsky.social

YouTube video by Botanical University Challenge BUC2024 York Wall Smashing

🌱🌾🌍🧪🌿🍄🌺🐝 Botanical University Challenge semifinal & final #BUC2025 includes The Wall, where teams put 16 plant names into 4 groups, with reason for each. Try one at puzzgrid.com/grid/98717 See University of York team doing it in 2024. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrNw...

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🐝Remember 13:30 BST Wednesday 20 August - the semifinal and final of Botanical University Challenge 2025 start! Teams of students from Universities of Aberdeen, Reading. Plymouth and the Eden Project University Centre. Streamed live on YouTube!! #BUC2025

Pictures Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Botanical University Challenge streamed live from 13:30 BST Wednesday 20 August. QR code for livestream, see YouTube @BotanicalUniversityChallenge

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌿🧪🐝 Final Botanical University Challenge 2025 this Wednesday 20 August, starting live-stream 13:30 BST from @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social 4 teams - Unis Aberdeen, Reading, Plymouth & Eden Project University Centre. Which will win??

Info about BUC semifinal and final. QR code for YouTube streaming at @botanicaluniversitychallenge.

🌱🌾🌼🌴🍂🍄‍🟫🌍 Only one day to wait! Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025 semi-final and final start at 13:30 BST tomorrow. Time to get the snacks in and re-view earlier rounds on YouTube to get i to the vibe!

WIND instruments, mostly...

Young people eating at outside tables under Olive trees in southern England

🌱🌾🌷🌸🌳🧪🌍 Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025 Teams and audience refueling on plants before the first semifinal starts at 13:00 BST today 20 August. YouTube @BotanicalUniversityChallenge www.youtube.com/live/HJfxLRp...

Almost empty lecture theatre.

The calm before the storm. In half an hour, 13:30 BST 20 August, Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025 starts. Watch the stream on YouTube @BotanicalUniversityChallenge !!

Hedge and plants border.

The purpose-designed dry garden within Cambridge University Botanic Gardens @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social Loving the 18 cm rain so far in 2025. The rest of the garden, not so happy. 3rd Student Botany Festival enjoying time with & about plants. #BUC2025

Olive trees . People. Bunting, posters, tables.

🌾🌱🌳🌻🪷🌍🍄‍🟫 Careers showcase under olive trees after 3 young academics talked about their career paths. Third Student Botany Festival following Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025 @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social @cieem.bsky.social @newphyt.bsky.social @biologists.bsky.social

Adding flower diversity to the world's model plant, Arabidopsis.

Animals dung with various partly digested food.

🌱🌿🌾🌼🪷🌻🌍 A small botanical Challenge. What are the yellow things these wild animals found to eat in the English countryside? For an extra zoological point, what sort of animals?! #BUC2025

Great to see the University of Aberdeen doing so well in this!

pictures of team Plantastic Five (University College Dublin) and team Pain in the Grass (University of Portsmouth), winner and runner up of BUC 2025 Team Name competition

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🐝🌳🌿 Also competition for most popular team name in Botanical University Challenge, voted by audience. Winner was team Plantastic Five from University College Dublin, runners up team Pain in the Grass from University of Portsmouth! #BUC2025

🌾🌱🌍🌺🌳🧪 After finals Botanical University Challenge, students relax ready for 3rd Botany Festival. Evening included making musical instruments from plants! Here @botanyjohninaber.bsky.social explains making whistle from fresh sycamore twig! #BUC2025

Human connection to nature has declined 60% in 200 years, study finds Prof Miles Richardson says people risk ‘extinction of experience’ in the natural world without new policies

🌍🍄‍🟫🌱🌾🌳🌼🌺🌹🪷🧪 About our disconnect from nature - with a note of hope at the end! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“Computer modelling predicts that levels of nature connectedness will continue to decline unless there are far-reaching policy and societal changes – with introducing children to nature at a young age and radically greening urban environments the most effective interventions.”

Aberdeen University Win the Botanical University Challenge 2025 Congratulations to the Aberdeen students who won this year’s contest In a close-fought final round of the Botanical University Challenge held in Cambridge in August, Aberdeen University won t…

🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🪳🌲Excitement at The Botanical Society of Scotland as the team 'Taxon, Taxoff' from University of Aberdeen win Botanical University Challenge against 30 other university student teams from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales & England. #BUC2025
botsoc.scot/2025/08/27/b...

Glowing houseplants, not involving GM or other genetic changes. Would they be acceptable in UK or EU?

Lecture theatre, man lecturing, audience of young people. Slides saying The Dryad's Reckoning - separating plant myth from plant science.

🌱🌍🌾🌺🌳🌿🪳 Final thought-provoking lecture ended 3rd Student Botany Festival. Inspirational finale. Jonathan Silvertown, University of Edinburgh, 'Separating plant myth from plant science'. jonathansilvertown.com #BUC2025