Hey you, winter: you're starting to get on our nerves!

While stuck indoors in this wintry weather, and in preparation for this summer's trip to the Outer Hebrides, I've been looking at the gallery on Carl Farmer's website of Hebridean plants, which has some really helpful ID tips and gorgeous photographs. I'm also checking out some of the Blogs other BSBI members have set up. Some are by VC Recorders, like Stephen Bungard's Hebridean Blog from Skye, Raasay and the Small Isles and Sarah Stille's Blog from Merioneth.

If you are interested in mapping, GIS and statistics, as well as field botany, then I think you'll like Oli P's sacrevert Blog which has loads of links to other nice things. I've already posted about Susanne Masters' excellent ethno-botany Blog but you should also watch out for her contributions to the Guardian's Gardening Blog. And our Co-ordinators' Blog is really good - more posts please Alex!

Photo: Paul Smith

Two of our BSBI country officers had interesting  Blogs which, sadly, are not being updated just now. Jim McIntosh's Tristan Travels brought to life his sabbatical year on the southern Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, and makes fascinating reading, but Jim is now safely back at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. The Welsh Officer's Blog is on hold while Polly is on maternity leave, but there is interesting stuff in the archives. And of course BSBI member Trevor Dines contributes to the Plantlife Blog which is always well worth a look. If you know of any other Blogs set up by, or with contributions from, BSBI members, then please let me know and I'll post a link.

And as a reminder of what we will be out doing if the season ever gets going, here is a photo (above) of BSBI's incoming President, Ian Denhom, trying to photograph some rather interesting harebells (top photo) on Harris last summer.