Future Events
Talks are held in the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the old Captain Cook Hotel. This is where we used to meet pre-covid. Please use the main entrance of the Benham Building to enter and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Room 215, located on the second floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open. Zoom links for the talks are sent to members, join the BSO here.
Trips leave from the Department of Botany car park.
Talk / Seminar on Wednesday 12th of November 2025, 05:20 PM (1 month from now)
Contact: Angela Brandt
Speaker: Maureen Howard, BSc Hons, PhD (Psychology).
Join Maureen on her rewilding journey as she explores what rewilding looks like in our small part of Aotearoa through her podcast Rewilding in Action; as well as her thinking about what this term means – so far! Maureen will share some useful things she has learned along the way, from hands-on experience in assisted native regeneration, to the technical ins and outs of creating a podcast.
Field Trip on Saturday 15th of November 2025, 09:00 AM (1 month from now)
Contact: John Barkla
This reserve near Aramoana, is a rare example of coastal podocarp/broadleaved forest with many special features including fragrant tree daisy (Olearia fragrantissima) and climbing daisy (Brachyglottis sciadophila). With luck, lunch will be in the sun admiring the interesting shrub and herb communities on the dramatic coastal cliffs and headland. We'll do a return trip from the end of Heyward Point Road. Meet at the Botany Department carpark at 9 a.m. Leader John Barkla 027 326 7917.
Talk / Seminar on Wednesday 11th of February 2026, 05:20 PM (4 months from now)
Contact: John Barkla
Scott Jarvie, Senior Scientist Terrestrial Ecology, Otago Regional Council.
Otago has a high diversity of plants and animals, reflecting the region’s contemporary landscapes, geological past and climatic history. Over 450 species have so far been identified as only naturally occurring in Otago, meaning they occur naturally and breed exclusively in the region. In this talk, I will provide an overview of our regionally endemic species in Otago and how this was determined, with a focus on our plants. Other projects that have contributed to our understanding of our regionally endemic species will also be touched upon, including a project assessing the extinction risk to species regionally and a project compiling type localities for species.