Who we are and what we do
Our members come from all walks of life, and range from complete beginners to distinguished scientists. We share a common love of the natural world, and a desire to learn more about it, and share our expertise. We are charity and all our events are organised solely by volunteers.
HOW TO JOIN..
A Diverse Area and a Wide Range of Interests
Our study area is a circle 20 miles (32km) in radius from St Pauls. This extends well beyond the Greater London boundary, and includes every type of habitat. The scope of our interests is just as wide, covering the whole range of wild plants, mammals, birds, invertebrates and fungi.
MORE ABOUT OUR AREA..
LONDONS HABITATS..
Our Three Great Strengths
Our first strength lies in our pool of members who are willing to share their knowledge and identification skills; since taxonomy and identification no longer form a major part of the curriculum of biological science courses in universities, these skills are needed more than ever. Our meetings and field study days are the ideal place to pick up these skills.
Our second strength lies in our recording efforts, collecting species data that has contributed to a number of distribution atlases, and now is helping to map the effect that climate change may be having on our biodiversity.
MORE ABOUT RECORDING..
Our third strength is that we are friendly, informal, and offer something for everyone. You don't have to be an expert to come to our events - prior knowledge of the subject is not required!
Our Current Activities
Indoor Meetings
These take place in the evenings, mainly in central London. They are very varied and usually involve presentations about a particular group of plants, animals or birds or about particular wildlife site or area.Field Meetings
take place every weekend and occasionally mid-week. Some are half-days, some are full-days. They are an excellent place in which you can try out, develop and hone your identification skills. We also organise longer distance coach trips to well-known nature reserves and bird watching sites further afield in the South and East of England. You don't need to own a car to take part in our events.OUR PROGRAMME>
TRY US OUT!
If you are new to LNHS, and would like to get a feel for what we do before deciding whether to join, you are welcome to come along to one of our meetings as our guest, for free. On arrival, please make yourself known to the leader or an organiser.
Ecological Surveys
These are carried out by our members on a regular basis at Hampstead Heath and at Bookham Common near Leatherhead in Surrey. Both beginners and experts are welcome.
Field Study Days
These are aimed at the beginner or someone with 'just a little knowledge' are held during the summer months at Bookham Common to help people increase their knowledge and confidence in their area of interest. MORE ABOUT SURVEYS AND FIELD STUDY DAYS..
The Newsletter
The Newsletter is published bi-monthly and posted to members.It is also available on-line to current members on the LNHS Members' Message Board.
Members' Message Boards
There are two Members' Message Boards (on-line forums): LNHS Members and LNHS Invertebrates.MORE..
Publications
The Society's long-term recording work led to the publication of a number of significant one-off distribution atlases on London's flora, butterflies, larger moths, and most recently, The Breeding Birds of the London Area (2002). We also produce two annual journals, London Bird Report and The London Naturalist.MORE ABOUT OUR PUBLICATIONS..
Reading Circles
These allow members to borrow a series of magazines and journals about ecology, entomology, birds, or archaeology at reduced subscriptions.MORE..
LNHS: past, present, and future
Founded in 1858, we are part of a long and thriving tradition of amateur natural history societies in the UK. Such societies continue to make an important contribution to science and conservation.
HISTORY..
HOW TO CONTACT US..
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© Copyright LNHS 2007.
LNHS is a registered Charity No 206228.
Photo of moth trap: David Bevan.