United Kingdom
The seventh international “Fascination of Plants Day” around 18 May 2024 will be launched by plant scientists across the world under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO).
The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture and sustainable production of nutritious food, as well as for horticulture, forestry and the production of plant-based non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals. The role of plants in environmental conservation is also a key message.
Be the director, leading actor/actress, camerman & producer of your own movie and win one of our cash prizes!
The ERA- Net SusCrop is launching a video contest to actively involve EVERYBODY from across the world to reflect, communicate and inspire on ‘what sustainable crop production means to you?’.
The competition is open to EVERYBODY and is supposed to activate multiple groups: school children, students, scientists, farmers/farmer-groups, and any person/group of random enthusiasts, artists (film, circus, music, digital/installation art, …), architects, social media/communication workers, etc.
KEYWORDS to inspire: sustainability, resilience, agriculture, forestry, ecology, crop production, crops, plants, science, nature, climate change, the future
However, we invite any kind of video: be original, think out-of-the-box! What does sustainability in the area of crop production mean to you? How should agriculture look like in the future? Do you practice sustainability procedures in growing crops or ornamental plants in your environment (e.g. your garden or balcony)?
More information on the different categories, prizes, eligibility conditions and selection criteria can be found on: https://www.suscrop.eu/video-contest-2022
We look forward to receiving your video!
Plant and Crop Science scientist at Lancaster University have prepared online activities sharing our enthusiasm about plants and our research work. All content will be available online here (http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/plant-crop-science-outreach/) and for people to enjoy in their own time.
Event description: Coinciding with the peak flowering period of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s rhododendrons, Rhododendrons: Riddle, Obsession, Threat reveals the organisations’ significant history of collecting, researching and cultivating this unique plant.
Work by contemporary artists Simon Starling, Yan Wang Preston and Alison Turnbull is presented alongside historical botanical illustration, photography and objects from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Archive.
The exhibition also features newly commissioned work, Rhododatum: a collaboration between artists Stefanie Posavec and Ray Interactive, with RBGE Biodiversity Conservation Network Manager, Alan Elliott.
https://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/rhododendrons-riddle-obsession-threat/
A series of events to celebrate Fasciation of Plants Day 2022 organised by The School of Biological Sciences University of Edinburgh, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and The Botanical Society of Scotland. Click on attachment to see the full programme.
Plants feed us, clothe us, and fuel our world: but who decides which questions about plants are answered? You do! Plant Questions is a citizen science project, where anyone can decide the most important plant questions. Using our interactive ranking tool, you decide the most important plant question – and shape the future of plant science research around the world
Join us for pond dipping, face painting, science workshops from researchers at the University of Dundee and James Hutton Institute, bumblebee display with family activities, self-guided trails, plant sale from the Friends of the Botanic Garden and much more.
Natural History Museum Learning Volunteers will be offering a Seeds activity for visitors to the Museum.
Join us for a week of events in Aberdeen to mark Fascination of Plants Day 2022. Come along to the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens for a Spring Plant Sale and Garden Tour, or join us at Aberdeen Science Centre to learn about how plants can help with mental health. On Sunday 15th May come along to Duthie Park for a range of interactive activities with representatives from Duthie Park Rangers, Robert Gordon University, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and The James Hutton Institute. On Fascination of Plants Day itself we have some Plant Workshops for Primary Schools in Duthie Park and the Noel Pritchard Memorial Lecture at the University of Aberdeen. Then finish the week off with a Talk and Walk around the Cruickshank Botanic Garden to highlight the important interactions between plants and fungi.
To find out more information about the events follow the link:https://www.rgu.ac.uk/fascination-of-plants-day-2022#anchor-3
Photo: Mark Paterson
This event is a creative and scientific workshop where participants will work from plants in the Museum Wildlife Garden (access through the Darwin Centre) to uncover the beautiful and functional micro-structures of common plants.
Participants of all ages will have the opportunity to use a range of microscopes and lenses to explore minute details such as leaf hairs and stomata (breathing pores), cell structures, pollen, and seeds; and to make creative responses to their finds. Activities will be led by the artist Rob Kesseler, well known for his micro images of plants, and by members of the Museum’s education and science teams.
Image – Marigold, stained stem section. © Rob Kesseler
Artist website
Artist’s video: Like unto each yet none alike. Duration 13 minutes
BBC feature on plants suited to climate change featuring specially commissioned images by Rob Kesseler
A feature-length documentary that tells the story of nature conservationists in China and the UK who are working to protect rhododendrons in the wild and in ex-situ collections. Over the five years it took Julia Haslett make the film, she travelled to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China, and Argyll and Edinburgh in Scotland.
In person: National Galleries of Scotland, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre Tickets: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/ticket-purchase/6309
Online streamed version: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/event/pushed-mountain-screening-and-panel-discussion-online
Join the Botanical society of Scotland online lectures series to hear Prof Professor Jonathan Silvertown discuss if plants can be friends.
Several popular books about plants have recently spread the idea that trees help each other out, that there are friendly relations among neighbours in forests and that plants can sense the presence of relatives and modify their behaviour accordingly.
Registration: Free, register online https://www.botanical-society-scotland.org.uk/node/621
Please click the link to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87687715842
Tune in on Fascination of Plants Day, 18 May for streaming of The Secret World of Rhododendrons by Dr. Richard Milne.
Registration: Free, register online https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/secret-world-of-rhododendrons-talk-by-dr-richard-milne-tickets-317998430867
Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89241955171?pwd=UUxkQVhHZzdPc2lzZnI5eDdVb3ovdz09
The talk will also run alongside our current exhibition ‘Rhododendrons: Riddle Obsession Threat’ , which reveals the organisations’ significant history of collecting, researching and cultivating this unique plant. https://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/rhododendrons-riddle-obsession-threat/
Event description: Learn how plants respond to light and about the ancient fossil forests that used to cover Edinburgh with scientists from Institute of Molecular plant Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.
Registration: Free, no need to register
We think trees, woodlands and forests are fascinating! On World Fascination of Plants Day we invite you to join us for a short virtual tour of our research woodland in central England, UK. Your guide will be Director of BIFoR, Prof Jerry Pritchard.
The University of Reading STEM Outreach Office together with resident botanist extraordinaire Dr Jonathan Mitchley (aka Dr M), will be providing a ready-to-deliver lesson for schools to use, in their own space and time. The main classroom activity focuses on different smells associated with familiar and less familiar plants and the purpose of those smells to show students how plants use chemicals to help them attract pollinators and deter pests and diseases. The main activity consists of 8 smell pots and cards for students to match up the flowers the smells and the chemical compounds responsible. We supply a PowerPoint presentation and associated teacher’s notes with lots of extra facts and to provide information on likely Q&A from the students. To complete the project students can carry out their own optional activity by going to their local outside space in search of some smelly plants of their own to investigate. We welcome feedback from the students on their experience and activities and we plan to use the feedback to make a video which will follow up to the one we made for FoPD 2019!
Immerse yourself in wonderful surroundings, enjoy some cheerful music and taste delicious local produce at our Spring Fair! Harcourt Arboretum is made up of 130 acres containing the best collection of trees in Oxfordshire, with some of the oldest redwoods in the UK.
There will be a selection of food and drink including a pig roast, ice-cream and vegetarian and vegan options. Children can have a go at craft activities and meet some farmyard animals. In addition to this, we will have a fantastic selection of plants for sale, which have been specially propagated by Oxford Botanic Garden.
The Spring Fair and Plant Sale is part of Fascination of Plants Day 2022, with events taking place across the world throughout the whole month of May. This will showcase the importance of plant science for nutritious food, horticulture, forestry and the production of plant-based non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals.
Please note that booking a ticket to the Spring Fair does not guarantee parking. As parking on site is limited, we recommend planning your journey in advance. We encourage visitors to consider car-sharing or using public transport when possible. Oxford Bus Company run regular buses between Oxford and Nuneham Courtenay with a stop opposite the Arboretum.
Please note that University staff, Friends and Annual Pass holders will need to pay the standard entry price to attend seasonal fairs at the Garden and Arboretum
Join us on a Rhododendron tour with Dr. Richard Milne, in connection with Fascination of Plants Day, exploring a selection of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s vast and unique outdoor Rhododendron collection.
Registration: Free, register online https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/royal-botanic-garden-edinburgh-tour-of-rhododendrons-with-dr-richard-milne-tickets-317953586737
With the International Plant Health Week and Fascination of Plants Day, May is the month for celebrating plants! Scientists at the Norwich Research Park invite you to come explore the wonderful world of plants with us at our Open Day on Saturday 21st May 2022.
On the 21st of May, scientists from world-leading research institutes across the Norwich Research Park will share their love of plants through exhibitions, tours and family-friendly activities.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens on the Norwich Research Park or if would like to find out more about the wonderful world of plants, this is a FREE event for your diary.
The Sainsbury Laboratory, John Innes Centre, Earlham Institute and Quadram Institute look forward to showing you how we aim to solve global challenges through the power of plants, science and technology.
On the Sutton Bonington Campus of the University of Nottingham many Plant Scientists work together to study the development of plants and their response to the environment. This research helps us to understand how plants will be able to cope with the changing climate. On the 18th of May, the international Fascination of Plants day, you can come on a tour of our glasshouses and, in 6 interactive stations, experience the research going on here.
Family activities day with a focus on plants and plant science