Botanical University Challenge
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Botanical University Challenge
@bucbotany.bsky.social
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Annual plant knowledge quiz among UK and Irish Universities. For more information https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/
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Botanical University Challenge @bucbotany.bsky.social · Aug 24
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🧪🌳🐝 What was the result of Botanical University Challenge #BUC2025? 31 teams from UK and Ireland entered. Final overall winner was amazing team from University of Aberdeen who led in almost all the rounds. Runner-up was University of Plymouth team, so close behind.
Final outcome of Botanical University Challenge 2025. Logos of the 31 universities & institutions that entered teams. Background picture of part of Cambridge University Botanic Garden where the semifinals and final were held. Four semifinalists were Universities of Aberdeen, Reading, Plymouth and Eden Project University Centre. Overall winner was team from University of Aberdeen with team from University of Plymouth close runner up. Also logos of our Gold-level sponsor, Gatsby Foundation and Silver-level sponsors New Phytologist Foundation, The Company of Biologists, University of Cambridge & Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Also grateful to our many Bronze-level sponsors and many others who supported the competition and 3rd Student Botany Festival that followed with their help-in-kind, knowledge and assistance.
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🥦 Semifinal & final Botanical University Challenge #BUC2026 will be at University of Reading in August. Whole event held here one day 2019. Only 6 teams. Memories from @drmgoeswild.bsky.social in recent issue of our newsletter. How many teams will be in #BUC2026? Definitely over 30 !
Pictures teams and competition in Botanical University Challenge 2019. Group of around 24 students, and start of text of article about the event. QR code for full text.
January 24, 2026 at 10:19 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🥦 To get in the mood for Botanical University Challenge #BUC2026 (starts streaming YouTube 14:00 GMT 11 Feb), here's a question from last year!
Picture flower purple shades with yellow-white centre. 5 petals lobes. But where would you expect to find it growing: wall, plant, bog, seaside, newly disturbed ground?
January 23, 2026 at 10:51 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🧪🌿🌾🪾🌹🏵🪳🐌🌍 What should be the required and optional content in Biology or Biological Sciences degrees? The case for including plants as required content in latest issue of newsletter of Botanical University Challenge botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/ ##BUC2026
Pictures people with plants Text about why in biology degrees. Read all at https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
January 22, 2026 at 10:12 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🥦 Newsletter of Botanical University Challenge includes reviews of books with a botanical slant. Latest 2 are multi-award-winning 'A City on Mars' by Kelly & Zach Weinersmith, and 'Underland' by Robert Macfarlane. Read to see what you think. botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
Covers of 2 books A City on Mars and Underland. text of reviews about them. Full text at https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
January 21, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by Botanical University Challenge
bsbibotany.bsky.social
Are you spotting orchid rosettes in your area?
Would you like to be able to recognise native orchids before they come into bloom?
Try this helpful #WildFlowerID guide which Mike Waller of @ukorchids.bsky.social fame created for @nhm-london.bsky.social:
www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/id...
January 20, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Botanical University Challenge
bsbibotany.bsky.social
Did somebody mention basal rosettes?
Check out the fabulous Basal Project website, it has almost 2,000 photos of basal & juvenile leaves of British & Irish wild plants:
basalproject.org.uk
January 20, 2026 at 10:40 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🥦 Read about student enthusiasm for woodland fungi in latest issue of newsletter Botanical University Challenge, The Thymes.
botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/ #BUC2026
4 pictures woodland fungi on ground, moss, rotting wood. Start of text about them.
January 20, 2026 at 9:40 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌍🌺🍄🌳🐝 More teams from Universities and Institutions in UK and Ireland registering for Botanical University Challenge #BUC2026. Until Friday 23 January for others to register.

Starting to see what teams look like - and their names. Here's University of Southampton - The Not-So-Hot Potatoes!
Team side of Uni Southampton, The Not-So-Hot Potatoes. Their faces on Potatoes.
January 19, 2026 at 9:28 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🥦 Read about Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social where people around UK record plants in meadows, road verges, churchyards & amenity grassland. Also career change to plants. Read about both in
botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/ #BUC2026
Pictures of ground ivy, nice purple orchid-like flowers, frilled-edged green leaves. Also leaves with parasites - one eating away at inside leaving white area, other causing raised pale galls. Also start of text of interview with Laura Moss about The Big Meadow Search. https://bsky.app/profile/bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social
January 18, 2026 at 10:34 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
Feature of Botanical University Challenge is imaginative names of teams. Most popular ones each year, by public acclaim, get a prize. The current issue of newsletter The Thymes lists winners - but where are they from? Answers on last page! #BUC2026
botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
Pictures some BUC teams 2021 and list of team name winners.
January 17, 2026 at 10:03 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 Read about student at Edge Hill University becoming enthusiastic about ferns and describing value of engagement with scientific societies. In The Thymes, newsletter of Botanical University botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/C...
Picture elegant green fer. Text about it. https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
January 16, 2026 at 9:55 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 Botanical University Challenge 2026 #BUC2026 starts on-line 11 February. Teams of 4 students on degree programmes should register by 23 January- deadline extended. See website for more details. botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/buc2026/ @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Students at Student Botany Festival 2025. Text about sign-up https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/buc2026/
January 15, 2026 at 9:56 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
Read about the amazing student plant society at Prifysgol Aberystwyth University. Phyteclub - best student society prizes, revitalized glasshouses, brought plants back to prominence. QR code or botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/ #BUC2026 @aberuni.bsky.social
Text about article in The Thymes https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
January 14, 2026 at 8:57 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 🧪Content January 2026 The Thymes, newsletter of #BUC2026 ? Includes Lindsay-Anne Heald from BSBI writing about a new initiative to increase wild plant video content on TikTok.

botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/

@bsbibotany.bsky.social
part of The Thymes content
January 13, 2026 at 9:43 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 🧪 Big month for Botanical University Challenge #BUC2026. New issue newsletter The Thymes available QR code or download: botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/

Also new 23 January deadline for university teams UK & Ireland to sign up. Competition starts 11 February!
Part front page newsletter Botanical University Challenge newsletter The Thymes. New issue January 2026. Download from QR code or at https://botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/
January 12, 2026 at 12:21 PM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 This botanical question might be more difficult. About distribution of plant species in the UK and Ireland. Which one of the 5 listed do you see right at the coast around almost all the islands of UK and Ireland? #BUC2026
Map of plant distribution in UK and Ireland. Shows it is present right at the coast almost everywhere, and occasionally inland. Names of 5 plant species it could be. Which one, though. Possible plants are 1.Common Sea Lavender Limonium vulgare; 2. Thrift Armeria maritima; 3. Sea Holly Eryngium maritimum; 4. Cotton grass Eriophorum angustifolium; 5. Common Scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis agg.
January 11, 2026 at 12:10 PM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 Here's an interesting question, about bog rosemary. Found in bogs, mainly Wales, northern England, southern Scotland, central Ireland in the UK & Ireland - where bogs still remain. But what is its lovely scientific name? #BUC2026
Picture pale pink bell-shaped flowers, leaves v narrow, dark green. Reddish stems. 5 options for its systematic name. Which is it? Athena, Aphrodite, Andromeda, Astraea, Astalavista. Hint: dragons!
January 10, 2026 at 10:38 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 What is the name of this commercially important plant? And if you want a second question, which plant family is it in? #BUC2026
Pictures of plant. Quite large leaves with about 5 large leaflets and a terminal one. Flowers in spike of pale purple pea-flower like ones. Is it a. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) b. Field bean (Vicia faba) c. Alfalfa/Lucerne (Medicago sativa)d. Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) e. Soybean (Glycine max)
January 9, 2026 at 10:43 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 How about this plant-related question? The Great Exhibition in London of 1851 was in a purpose-built building designed by Joseph Paxton & Charles Fox. What plant inspired its design? 5 possible ones on the picture. Which do you think? #BUC2026
Contemporary postcard of the Crystal Palace built for 1851 Great Exhibition. But what plant inspired its structure? 5 possible answers: a. Golden Lotus (Musella lasiocarpa); b. Giant Waterlily (Victoria amazonica); c. Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera); d. Giant Rhubarb (Gunnera manicata); e. Elephant Ear (Philodendron giganteum)
January 8, 2026 at 10:23 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦Another question to test your botanical knowledge. What plant family does this tree belong to? Five options - which would you pick? #BUC2026
Picture horsechestnut - bright green hand-shaped leaves, dark brown smooth bark.
January 7, 2026 at 3:09 PM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🐝🧬🥦 Botanical University Challenge 2026 #BUC2026 starts on-line 11 February. Teams of 4 students on degree programmes should register by 16 January. See website for more details. botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk
Picture of careers showcase from Fourth Student Botany Festival 2025. Woman talking to student with posters of information behind.
January 6, 2026 at 11:38 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷Another team has entered Botanical University Challenge 2026 #BUC2026. Students at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh have formed a team. First Scottish team to join in this year.
text about degree and other courses involving plants from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
January 5, 2026 at 9:48 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷More teams have got themselves together for Botanical University Challenge 2026 #BUC2026. Eden Project University Centre has announced its team!
List of degrees and other higher-level programmes at Eden Project University Centre that involve plants.
January 4, 2026 at 10:48 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷 First rounds in Botanical University Challenge 2026 start February. Involve multiple choice questions. This is one from last year. Can you name this plant from the 5 options? #BUC2026
Picture of plant with 5 name options
January 3, 2026 at 9:07 AM
bucbotany.bsky.social
🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷Yet another team signed up for Botanical University Challenge 2026 - University of York! #BUC2026 #plants #loveplants
List of degrees at University of York that include plants
January 2, 2026 at 9:15 AM