Second best time to join BSBI?

Radnor lily Gagea bohemica
Image: B. Brown

Last month we told you about our amazing October special offer on BSBI membership. 

If you joined in October for 2020: welcome to BSBI! Your membership will have started at once so you're now a BSBI member and you're all set to enjoy 15 months of membership for the price of 12. 

Missed the boat and kicking yourself now? Don't worry, you don't need to wait another year until the October offer comes round again. Our November special offer is almost as good as our October special offer. 

Ok, you'll only get 14 months for the cost of 12 but you'll still be able to benefit from the members-only special offers on the new Grassland plants of the British & Irish lowlands book (£10 off) and the BSBI Handbook on Gentians of Britain & Ireland (£5 off): those offers run until the end of November. 

Kevin & David on Colonsay,
road-testing the BSBI Handbook on Eyebrights
Image: P. Stroh

You'll still be able to enjoy three issues each year of BSBI News; you'll still have access for 14 months to our network of 100+ expert plant referees to help you identify tricky plants... In fact you'll enjoy all the benefits we listed here but for 14 months instead of 15!

But last month I was so busy telling you about all those practical benefits (the "what" if you like) that perhaps I overlooked the "why" - the real reason why people join, and contribute to, societies like BSBI: it's so you can make a difference.

Thyme broomrape growing on
 a carpet of wild thyme
Image: P. Stroh

As a BSBI member, you'll become part of the amazing achievements of our volunteer members:

• The wild plants you record (with the help and support of our County Recorders, local botany groups and expert referees) will feed into one of the world's largest biological databases: more than 43,600,000 records and counting. 
• Those plant records will help inform academia, policy-makers and conservation agencies - find out how BSBI's data, collected by our wonderful volunteer members, fed into the recent State of Nature reports.
• The State of Nature reports make it very clear that our wildlife, including wild plants, need our support more than ever.
• Most of your membership subscription goes to provide you with the many benefits we told you about - the three copies each year of BSBI News, the special offers on botanical books, etc. - but... 




Botanist Sarah matches her
wildflowers to her hair!
Image: J. McIntosh

You'll also be making a contribution to our grants programme, helping to train more botanists and supporting important botanical research which simply would not happen without BSBI's help.

To find out more about what our fabulous BSBI members achieved in the past year, take a look at our latest Annual Review.

If you're already one of our 3,031 members - a huge thank you to each and every one of you. 

All the amazing achievements described in the Annual Review are only possible thanks to you.

If you haven't joined us yet - why not head over here and become member number 3,032? 

Together, we can make even more of a difference.