Training Webinars | National Plant Monitoring Scheme

Welcome to the training webinars booking page. A list of exciting, relevant and educational webinars are shown in the table below. See the table for information about each webinar including date, time and trainer presenting.

To book onto each webinar, please use the link by 'Register' for each one. This will direct you to a Zoom registration page, where you will be asked to register for that specific webinar. Following this you will be sent the joining information as well as reminder emails and a feedback survey link after the event. If you later find that you cannot attend the webinar, do not worry. Each one is recorded and uploaded, and added to our excellent collection of training videos and recorded webinars, on our YouTube channel here NPMS Support YouTube Channel. Please note that you do not need to contact us to let us know you will not be attending. New training videos will also be released as part of this years training programme.

More training webinars will be added throughout the year, so keep checking on the latest additions. All of last years training webinars are already on our YouTube channel for you to watch here Recorded Webinars Playlist

Upcoming Webinars

Wildflower Identification: back to basics

Want to get more familiar with wildflowers and how to identify some of them? Then this session will help by breaking down barriers for learning with this easy-to-follow plant anatomy session. When the terminology of plant parts is fully understood, it opens doors for a whole path of learning about all the different wildflowers we have in the UK.

Want to put your new skills to practise? Then also find out how to take part in a citizen science project - the National Plant Monitoring Scheme and hear how your help is needed.

When: 12/06/25

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth: Specialist Botanical Advisor, Plantlife

This is an online webinar via Zoom video call. You do not need a Zoom account to join, just a computer/laptop, tablet or mobile device connected to the internet. Booked participants simply follow the link and joining instructions sent ahead of the meeting.

To register for this webinar and receive your joining email, please follow this link HERE

Classes for Grasses 2 – The usual suspects

Is grass identification knocking your confidence? Perhaps it’s holding you back from moving from Wildflower to Indicator level for grassland habitats? This session aims to help move you on from the initial stages of understanding what a grass is and how the group differs from other flowering plants, onto getting more familiar with those NPMS grass indicator species to look out for and how to spot them. We’ll also look at some of the other features of grasses that help us to identify them, like habit as well as habitat!

You can enjoy Episode 1 – Grass Structure and Anatomy by following this link HERE

When: 23/06/25

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth: Specialist Botanical Advisor, Plantlife

To register for this webinar and receive your joining email, please follow this link HERE

Introduction to NPMS and survey methodology

An introduction to the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, for new volunteers getting starte on their survey squares, and those interested in getting involved. Find out why the scheme was developed, how to volunteer with this important national scheme, planning your surveys and survey methodologies. As well as providing an overview and guidance, this session is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about methods, plot set up and how to get support.

Perfect for newcomers to the scheme or those interested in getting involved, to find out what it is all about.

When: 17/07/25

Time: 12:30 - 14:00

Trainer: Rachel Murphy, NPMS volunteer manager

To register for this webinar and receive your joining email, please follow this link HERE

Previous Webinars and recording links

Winter Trees – how to identify native broadleaves in autumn-winter

This webinar helps participants learn how to identify native broadleaved trees when there are no leaves, using a range of features such as buds, twigs, bark, and shape/structure. Neill shows that it's not as difficult as you might think! Confusable species such as blackthorn and hawthorn will be covered, and the webinar will help you tell the difference between our native and naturalised oak species.

Neill Talbot is an ecologist based in Bristol. With Avellana Ecology, Neill provides training and guided walks for a wide range of organisations, undertakes a range of ecological surveys and provides habitat management advice.

When: 28/11/24

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Neill Talbot, Avellana Ecology

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Coastal vegetated shingle

This webinar will provide an introduction to coastal vegetated shingle, including the classification and development of this broad habitat type. Also, a background on the status and distribution of vegetated shingle in UK and internationally, along with its conservation and management. Joshua will review several key higher plant species to include the indicator species recorded within the NPMS, their identifying features and confusion species.

Joshua Styles is a botanical specialist with extensive experience as an ecological consultant. He sits on a number of professional committees such as the north-west Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) committee.

When: 14/11/24

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Joshua Styles, Botanical specialist

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Introduction to NPMS and survey methodology

An introduction to the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, for new volunteers and those interested in getting involved. Find out why the scheme was developed, how to become a volunteer with this important national scheme, planning your surveys and survey methodologies. Before the survey season kicks off, now is a great time to start getting familiar with the methods, your survey square and plan ahead for the upcoming season. As well as providing an overview and guidance, this session is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about methods and plot set up.

When: 12/09/24

Time: 12:00 - 13:30

Trainer: Rachel Murphy, NPMS Volunteer Manager

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Becoming 'familiar' with botany - exploring five plant families

If you've learned the parts of a plant, the next step in your wildflower identification journey is to explore some common plant families. Join Sarah in looking at the features of five plant families; Apiaceae (Carrot family), Lamiaceae (Dead-nettle family), Fabaceae (Pea family), Rosaceae (Rose family) and Rubiaceae (Bedstraw family). If you’d like to recap the parts of a plant in advance, you can check out a handy Parts of a Plant webinar, previously provided by Sarah. HERE

This talk is being led by: Sarah Shuttleworth – Sarah is Plantlife's Senior Ecological Advisor. She is a botanist with over 15 years' of field surveying experience. She has a passion for teaching wildflower identification and loves to explore the natural world.

When: 19/06/24

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth, Plantlife

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Wetland wonders – how to identify native aquatic plants

This webinar will provide participants with an introduction to plants of freshwater habitats, including species likely to be found in submerged, floating and marginal zones. There will be an overview of the classification of habitats such as lakes and ponds, rivers, streams, marshes and fens. It will focus on indicator species, with greater focus on still waters and show you how to tell the difference between confusion species e.g. lesser water-parsnip, fool’s water-cress and water-cress. An overview of species of conservation concern and habitat management issues will be provided.

When: 23/05/24

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Neill Talbot, Avellana Ecology

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

BSBI Plant Atlas 2020

In 2023, NPMS project partner, The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) published the hugely valuable and information resource – Plant Atlas 2020. This provides overview of the distribution of the wild plants of Great Britain and Ireland resulting from an incredibly comprehensive survey of plants (flowering plants, ferns and charophytes), based on over 30 million records collected mainly by volunteer recorders of the BSBI between 2000 and 2019, as well as previous nationwide surveys undertaken in the 1950s and 1990s.

Head of Science for the BSBI, Dr Kevin Walker will provide an overview of the Atlas and main findings, along with a short demonstration of the Online Atlas.

When: 18/01/24

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Dr Kevin Walker, BSBI

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Vegetation of disturbed and urban places

In the strict sense, disturbed and urban habitats are not really within the NPMS remit, but they can be fascinating places for plants and all sorts of mixed up and ever-changing plant communities, so this will be a presentation to look at some of the characteristic and interesting species we can find among the equally varied types of urban and otherwise disturbed landscapes. An hour of online disturbance. But it’s not strictly/serious NPMS, so let’s say an hour of relatively relaxed disturbance!

Ben Averis is a botanist who has been working in this field since the 1980s. He and his wife Alison live in Scotland and do botanical surveys, monitoring and teaching work for a wide range of organisations. Their work has taken them all over Britain and Ireland (especially Scotland), and also abroad.

When: 07/12/23

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanist

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Flushes and Springs

Flushes and springs are a varied and important group of habitats, so in this session we will look at their definitions, their characteristic plant species and the variation in their plant communities. I shouldn’t really tell you this, but we will probably see some mosses in this presentation too. (Mosses are not strictly part of NPMS, but they can tell us a lot about the spring and flush environment.)

When: 14/09/23

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanist

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Maritime cliff tops and slopes

While maritime cliffs have been touched on in previous NPMS training introducing coastal habitats, here we shine the light and focus in more detail on just this particular habitat. The presentation will show examples of different forms of the maritime cliff, with a range of different types of vegetation, and will also look at the plant species that are particularly characteristic and relevant, and discuss aspects of management and conservation in these places.

When: 10/08/23

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanist

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Spectacular Saltmarshes

Botanical specialist Joshua Styles introduces one of Britain's most internationally imperilled coastal habitats - saltmarshes. In this talk, Joshua looks at how these magical habitats form, the myriad of fantastical ecosystem services they provide us with and also some of the plants that grow on them, from the specialist grasses to the weird, wacky and outright bizarre.

When: 31/07/23

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Joshua Styles, Botanical Specialist

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Using NPMS data for ecological research and conservation

Dr Oli Pescott from NPMS partner organisation UKCEH will provide an overview of the National Plant Monitoring Scheme survey from the point of view of the research applications of the collected data.

Some of the questions addressed will include: why was the scheme designed as it is? How does it complement other UK ecological monitoring schemes? And how are the data being used in research?

When: 21/06/23

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Trainer: Dr Oli Pescott, UKCEH

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Plant paparazzi: botanical photography for beginners

Have you ever eagerly taken pictures of an exciting plant, only to get home, check your phone and find all your photos are out of focus? Infuriating, isn't it! This plant photography course is aimed at beginners, to help you focus on your forget-me-nots and frame those foxgloves. The session will be run by botanist Leif Bersweden who promotes plants by sharing his photos with a wide audience on social media. He will talk about the dos and don'ts of amateur botanical photography, what parts of the plant are useful to photograph for identification, plus provide tips on image composition, focusing with a phone camera, how to improve the lighting and much more. No prior experience is required, just a desire to take nice photos of plants!

This session focusses on phone cameras, as something most have to hand when out and about. But the advice and top tips provided are not limited to these.

When: 23/01/23

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Leif Bersweden

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of the session, please follow this link HERE

Introduction to NPMS and survey methodology

When: 08/02/23

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Rachel Murphy, NPMS Volunteer Manager

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This webinar has been and gone, but to watch a recording of an introductory session, please follow this link HERE

NPMS Volunteer Mentor Opportunities

Within the NPMS we have been reviewing our Volunteer Mentor programme and so our means of supporting our mentors and volunteer surveyors. There are a number of ways mentors can support fellow volunteers both locally and nationally, depending on their own interests, strengths and of course availability and motivation!

This webinar provides an opportunity for those interested in becoming an NPMS mentor, along with our current mentors to find out more about the programme, our plans for 2022 on, and the different opportunities and roles of NPMS mentors you may wish to become involved in. Also, the ways the NPMS team will be supporting and empowering our hugely valuable mentors. If you are at all considering becoming a volunteer mentor with us, please feel free to join this less formal webinar to find out more.

When: 28/04/22

Time: 16:00 - 17:00

Presenter: Rachel Murphy, NPMS Volunteer Manager

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

NPMS: Creating and recording on linear plots

Following feedback from NPMS volunteers, we are presenting an overview of different types of linear plots within different NPMS habitat types. We will be considering how to choose your linear plot locations and covering surveying on these sites.

When: 12/05/22

Time: 12:30 - 13:30

Trainer: Rachel Murphy and Sarah Shuttleworth, NPMS Volunteer Managers

This is an online webinar via Zoom video call. You do not need a Zoom account to join, just a computer/laptop, tablet or mobile device connected to the internet. Registered participants simply follow the link and joining instructions sent ahead of the meeting.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

NPMS A closer look at Dry deciduous woodland

A more detailed look at this NPMS fine habitat category that sits within the broad habitat, Broad-leaved woodland. We take a look at a range of semi-natural woodland types, including on how soil type and geographic location can influence the species composition. The aim is to cover the more tricky to identify NPMS indicator species and will also include a question and answer session.

When: 26/05/22 *New Date*

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth, NPMS

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Bog and Wet heath - Identifying the fine scale habitats

This session will look at the features that separate wet heath, blanket bog and raised bog from each other. These three fine-scale habitats have much in common floristically, and indeed the vegetation of blanket bog and raised bog can be of much the same type. That’s why this session will examine the similarities and differences, so that you’ll be better prepared for a…
Fine-tuned investigation
giving you a better-focused
fine-scale classification
of that tricky peatland locus

When: 09/06/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanical Consultant

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

A closer look at wet heath and the species within

Wet heath is a fascinating and very varied habitat type, including some rather botanically distinguished forms. In this session we see how the species composition of wet heath vegetation varies in relation to such things as wetness, acidity, climate and land use.
Looking close we get beneath
the superficial simple view
that studying our wetter heath
is not a worthy thing to do

When: 13/06/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanical Consultant

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

A closer look at at neutral grasslands

Neutral damp grassland and Neutral pastures and meadows

A more detailed look at these two NPMS fine habitat categories that site within the broad habitat, Lowland grassland. We will look at a range of semi-natural grassland examples and how to differentiate between the two fine habitats. The aim is to cover habitat identification and the more tricky to identify NPMS indicator species and will also include a question and answer session.

When: 23/06/22

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth, NPMS

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Introduction NPMS and survey methodology

This webinar is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about methods and plot set up.

When: 27/06/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:30

Trainer: Rachel Murphy, NPMS Volunteer Manager

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out a recording of this presentation on YouTube HERE

A closer look at lowland dry heathland

A more detailed look at this NPMS fine habitat category that sits within the broad habitat, Heathland. The aim is to cover the habitat composition and considerations, along with identifying the NPMS indicator species within, with an experienced ecologist in this field. There will also be opportunity for a question and answer session.

When: 15/09/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Sophie Lake, Footprint Ecology

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

A closer look at Montane acid grasslands and meadows

In this session we see that the Montane Acid Grassland fine-scale habitat is much more than just grassland. It also includes various types of fern-dominated vegetation, montane snowbeds, and wind-exposed summit heaths consisting mainly of mosses, sedges and rushes. Hence it takes in some of our most noteworthy types of montane vegetation. Plenty to get stuck into (or, rather, to rise to).

More than just a bit of grass.

Botanically upper class!

(I’m not being snobbish, posh or rude.

“Upper” just means altitude)

When: 22/07/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanical Consultant

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out a recording of this presentation on YouTube HERE

A closer look at Dry acid grassland

A more detailed look at this NPMS fine habitat category that sits within the broad habitat, Lowland grassland. We consider how soil type and geographic location of dry acid grassland can influence the species composition. Along with the more typical grasses, including Bristle Bent, Common Bent and Sheep’s Fescue, we also aim to cover some of the trickier to identify NPMS indicator species. The webinar will also include a question and answer session.

When: 21/09/22 *New Date - postponed due to unforeseen circumstances

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth, NPMS

REGISTRATION CLOSED

To register for this webinar and receive your joining email, please follow this link HERE

A closer look at the coastal sand dunes fine habitat

A more detailed look at this NPMS fine habitat category that sits within the broad habitat, Coast. The aim is to cover the habitat composition and considerations, along with identifying the NPMS indicator species within, with experienced ecologists in this field. There will also be opportunity for a question and answer session.

When: 11/08/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Sally Luker and Derek Green, Budding Nature

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Using NPMS data

Current research using surveyor data to investigate changes in UK plant communities

Climate change is likely to upend much of the natural world, but knowing how things will change requires us to understand changes which have already happened – It’s one reason why monitoring schemes like the NPMS are so vital. In this webinar, Oliver Wilson will demonstrate some of our latest research, looking at how UK habitats are exposed to climate changes, the NPMS’s nationally crucial role in capturing their effects, and how we’re using surveyors’ data to discover how UK plant communities are being changed.

When: 25/08/22

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Trainer: Oliver Wilson, NPMS, Plantlife

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Introduction to NPMS and survey methodology

An introduction to the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, finding out why the scheme was developed, how to become a volunteer with this important national scheme, planning your surveys and survey methodologies. Though we are entering autumn and winter, now is a great time to start getting familiar with the methods and plan ahead for the upcoming season. This meet is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about methods and plot set up.

When: 05/10/22

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Trainer: Rachel Murphy, NPMS Volunteer Manager

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone. But check out a recording of this presentation on YouTube HERE

Introduction to Freshwater Habitats

Freshwater Ecologist Sue Bell gives us an introduction to Freshwater habitats, incorporating Nutrient-poor lakes and ponds, nutrient-rich lakes and ponds and ponds, rivers and streams as listed in the NPMS survey guidance and species lists. An introduction to identifying the key families and species within these, with particular focus on NPMS indicator species.

When: 06/07/21

Time: 10:00 - 11:30

Trainer: Sue Bell, Ecologist

This is an online meeting via Zoom video call. You do not need a Zoom account to join, just a computer/laptop, tablet or mobile device connected to the internet. Booked participants simply follow the link and joining instructions sent ahead of the meeting.

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Introduction to NPMS and survey methodology

An introduction to the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, finding out how and why the scheme was developed, how to become a volunteer with this important national scheme, planning your surveys and survey methodologies. This is a great opportunity to get familiar with the methods and scheme. This webinar is also a useful way to ask any questions you may have about methods and plot set up.

When: 16/07/21

Time: 12:00 - 13:30

Trainer: Sarah Shuttleworth, NPMS Volunteer Manager

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This Event has been cancelled and replaced with the youtube recording which can be watched HERE

Introduction to coastal habitats

Botanical Consultant Ben Averis gives us an introduction to Coastal habitats, incorporating Coastal Saltmarsh, Coastal Sand Dunes, Coastal Vegetated Shingle, Machair and Maritime cliff tops and slopes as listed in the NPMS survey guidance and species lists. An introduction to identifying the key families and species within these, with particular focus on NPMS indicator species.

When: 23/07/21

Time: 10:00 - 11:30

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanical Consultant

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Introduction to Rock outcrops, cliffs and screes

Botanical Consultant Ben Averis gives us an introduction to Rock outcrops, cliffs and scree habitats as listed in the NPMS survey guidance and species lists. An introduction to identifying the key families and species within these, with particular focus on NPMS indicator species.

When: 06/08/21

Time: 10:00 - 11:30

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanical Consultant

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE

Introduction to Bog and Wet Heath habitats

Botanical Consultant Ben Averis gives us an introduction to Bog and Wet Heath habitats as listed in the NPMS survey guidance and species lists. An introduction to identifying the key families and species within these, with particular focus on NPMS indicator species.

When: 13/08/21

Time: 10:00 - 11:30

Trainer: Ben Averis, Botanical Consultant

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This event has been and gone, look further down for another event! But check out the recording on YouTube HERE