Who we are and what we do

The Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union (Charity Number 255645) was founded in 1893 and so we have over a hundred years’ experience and information in Lincolnshire’s wildlife and geology.

In that time we have seen the county change almost beyond recognition, and have a wealth of observations on just how those changes have affected our wildlife – made on over 800 field meetings all over the county.

The LNU is the only amateur Natural History Society covering the whole of Lincolnshire. Members study, record, hold meetings, supply information, publish books, exhibit, discuss and learn. We welcome new members.

The Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union…

  • is the only amateur Natural History Society covering the whole of historic Lincolnshire
  • exists for its members to enjoy, to study and to record the flora, fauna and physical features of Lincolnshire and for them to add to their natural history expertise in a huge range of animal and plant groups
  • holds field meetings throughout Lincolnshire during the spring, summer and autumn, often at sites which are not open to the public
  • holds indoor talks, workshops, exhibitions and discussions during the winter
  • welcomes new members and encourages and helps them to learn scientific and observation skills to investigate nature more enjoyably and record it more accurately
  • holds many hundreds of thousands of records of Lincolnshire’s wildlife going back over a century
  • supplies wildlife information to the Lincolnshire Environmental Record Centre
  • publishes its findings annually in ‘The Lincolnshire Naturalist’ and keeps members up to date with its twice-yearly newsletter
  • has published a number of books on Lincolnshire wildlife and geology

Biological Recording

One of our most important functions is documenting the county’s flora, fauna and landscape. Records are collated by specialist recorders and stored digitally so that we can analyse and map the distribution of plants and animals.

This information is vital for planners and conservation workers to make sensible decisions over the future and management of our wildlife.