About us
The Natural History Section exists to further the study of natural history and the recording of local wildlife in Leicestershire and the surrounding counties. Members of the Section have a wide variety of interests and expertise in various areas of natural history, but you don't have to be an expert on natural history to join. We meet in person monthly during the autumn, winter and spring for talks and all year round for field trips. Members receive a programme of forthcoming events, and regular copies of the Newsletter which reports on Society activities and contains other items about natural history. You are very welcome to come along to an indoor meeting as a guest.
Contact Us
- Membership enquiries: leicesternaturalhistory@gmail.com
- Website
- YouTube channel
Events
Indoor Meetings (all welcome) are usually held on Wednesday evenings once a month from October to March. Meetings consist of a talk on some aspect of natural history by a knowledgeable speaker, either an invited expert or a member. All talks are aimed at the amateur naturalist, since even those members of the Section who are experts in one area may know very little about another.
Please note temporary venue for 2025/26: Quaker Meeting House, 16 Queens Road, Leicester LE2 1WP (link to map).
Doors open 7.00 pm for start at 7.30 pm, finish by 9.30 pm.
9th March 2026 Joint Meeting with Parent Body will be at Hansom Hall, Wellington Street, Leicester LE1 6HL.
Outdoor Meetings (members only) are usually held on Saturdays or Sundays. Distances covered on foot vary, but typically 2-3 miles, and shorter alternative routes are often available for those who prefer this. All outdoor meetings are by private car within reasonable driving distance of Leicester. Lifts can usually be arranged for those without their own transport.
Winter/Spring 2025/26 events
2025/26 Winter/Spring Indoor Meetings Programme
Free to Members, £3 charge to visitors
1st October 2025
Wildlife of Leicestershire Quarries - Chris Hill
Quarrying can have a devastating impact on the local environment, but with careful restoration they can become vibrant, diverse habitats for a whole range of wildlife.
13th October 2025
President's Address
What has Leicester done for Nature? Celebrating Leicestershire Natural History and Historians Past and Present - HazelGraves
Hazel Graves, who was the chair of the Natural History Section, will be the President of the Lit and Phil for the 2025/26 season, and is giving her President's Address on 13th October. The subject is 'What has Leicester done for Nature? Celebrating Leicestershire Natural History and Historians Past and Present.' More details can be found here: President's Address. This is not a joint meeting, but members of the Natural History Section (who are not joint members of the parent body) and those interested in Natural History in Leicestershire may want to attend as guests.
5th November 2025
Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Local Nature Recovery Strategy - Paul Killip - The Sowter Lecture
Paul Killip is the Local Nature Recovery Strategy Project Manager for Leicestershire, Leicester City, and Rutland.
This lecture introduces the Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), a collaborative blueprint for restoring and connecting the natural environment. It explores the key habitats and species identified for protection, the role of agriculture as a partner in nature recovery, and the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Emphasis is placed on embedding nature into planning and community life, with the aim of delivering measurable, locally owned environmental outcomes.
The Sowter Memorial Lecture is dedicated to Frederick Sowter, F.L.S. (1899-1972), one of the Section's early members and an important botanist.
3rd December 2025
Wildlife of the Hebrides - Nigel Slater
The talk will cover 11 Islands from the far South to the far North, with wildlife, stunning views , some history and historical events, flora and fauna - and weather gets quite a mention!
I'll share my personal experiences. If anyone is thinking of visiting this archipelago, then my talk would be the perfect opportunity to get a feel of the places and the ease or otherwise of getting there (and getting back!).
The talk covers much more than wildlife - with culture and some historic content.
7th January 2026
Leicester City Flora - All change? - Russell Parry
Back in the mid 20th century it was thought that if a variety of wildflowers was sought, one should take a trip out of town and into the countryside. In recent years there has been an increasing awareness that this can be a very frustrating experience unless travelling to a very specific conserved area. A few years ago I started to notice just how much botanic variety there was when walking the Leicester streets, and decided to record this in more detail. During the winter months I investigated all previous botanic records for the City area. This talk is a summary of the findings up to the end of 2024, and a description of an attempt to find ‘the bigger picture.’
4th February 2026
Bringing a Boom to Middleton Lakes - Kate Thorpe (RSPB)
This is a talk in 2 parts. Part 1 is about bittern conservation, what the RSPB has done to reverse the decline and the small part Middleton Lakes has played. The second half is about the management of Middleton Lakes and how we make it a wildlife haven for a variety of species.
4th March 2026
Ancient Woodland in Leicestershire and Rutland - Andy Lear
Ancient woodland is defined as having existed continuously since 1600. It is of great historical and ecological importance and is irreplaceable. Leicestershire and Rutland have little ancient woodland and it is distributed unevenly, mainly as a consequence of historic land use patterns. A recent project to update the ancient woodland inventory has produced a revised map of ancient woodland across the area and the results will be presented.
Monday 9th March 2026
Joint Lecture with the Main Lit & Phil Society
What have Insects ever done for us? - Dr George McGavin
Insects are the most diverse and successful group of animals on Earth. They are an essential component of every terrestrial and aquatic food chain- without them the world would be a very different place. But insects have a dark side - they have changed the short course of human history by killing hundreds of millions of people and destroying their crops.
George McGavin studied Zoology at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD in entomology at Imperial College and the Natural History Museum in London. After 30 years as an academic, mostly at Oxford University, he became an award-winning broadcaster. George is an Honorary Research Associate of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and an Honorary Principal Research Fellow at Imperial College. In 2019 George became the President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust.
More information/Book here: https://www.leicesterlitandphil.org.uk/event-6105999
£7 for non-members, £3 students at this meeting
Hansom Hall, Wellington Street, Leicester LE1 6HL
1st April 2026
Natural History Section Annual General Meeting and Members' Evening
Members are invited to share their Natural History experiences with other Members of the Section.