Welcome

The Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club was formed in 1863 and is an eclectic mix of amateurs and professionals who are interested and enthusiastic about the natural sciences and the built environment.

The Club has four sections open to all members -

Membership

Currently there are around 150 members from all walks of life and from all over Northern Ireland and further afield. You definitely don't need to be an expert to join.

We welcome and encourage anyone who has an interest in the natural world to become a member. Members have access to the experts who lead our summer Field Trips as well as our series of Winter Lectures in the Ulster Museum.

Annual membership runs from January to December each year and is £18.00 for adults, £1.00 for Juniors and £5.00 for students, payable by cheque, transfer or Paypal. You can also set up a gift membership.


Events

During the summer we have a regular programme of Field Trips throughout Northern Ireland that are led by subject experts. There is at least one long Field Trip of general interest to a region of Ireland (and occasionally beyond) each summer. A special Members' Night in late spring provides an illustrated review of the previous Summer Programme and a look forward to the coming season.


We also run a series of evening Winter Lectures usually on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in the lecture theatre at the Ulster Museum, Stranmillis in Belfast.

Following the Annual Fungus Foray, the Conversazione in October gives members an opportunity to display items of their own - photographs, sketches, specimens, etc. - for which two prizes (Junior and Senior) are awarded.


We occasionally run introductory courses and workshops on such topics as archaeology, plant identification, botany, fossils, rocks, and minerals, etc.


The Sectional Secretaries record club activities and accounts are published each year in the Annual Proceedings. Field Trip Reports are available on the website. A dinner is held every two years, (with a guest speaker).


The Club encourages original research - for example, the Urban Flora of Belfast by Stan Beesley and John Wilde (published in 1997 by the Institute of Irish Studies) was the culmination of three year's intensive recording by many dedicated members.

Joining the Field Club

For information about joining the Club, please fill in the Application form or contact

the Honorary Secretary.

BNFC Secretary  secretary@bnfc.org.uk

C/o Department of Natural Sciences

National Museums Northern Ireland

Cultra

County Down

BT18 0EU

Northern Ireland

He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature - Socrates

Fungus Group September 2023 - Courtesy Debbie Nelson