Patron: Dafila Scott

Founded in 1857 as Cambridge Entomological Society, Cambridge Natural History Society is open to everyone interested in Natural History – including zoology, botany, ecology, entomology, palaeontology, conservation and the environment. 

Regular activities include evening talks in the spring (January to March or April) and autumn (October and November), the Conversazione – our annual exhibition, a seasonal social in December, and field studies and excursions. Talks cover a wide variety of topics, and there are exhibitions, excursions and field studies where there is an opportunity to learn identification skills. Follow the links for more information.

The autumn programme of talks will commence on Thursday 10th October when Brian Eversham will give a talk entitled “Overlooked wildlife, or, Why are there so many species?”

Download a list of the autumn talks.

The Annual General Meeting took place on Thursday 9th May at 6:45 p.m. in person in the David Attenborough Building and online by Zoom. It was followed by a talk by Ajay Tegala on “Wicken Fen: 125 Years of Conservation“.

Dates of our 106th Conversazione will be announced shortly. Please go to the Conversazione page for more information.

Keep in touch
We have an email list for advance notification of events, which is open to anyone.  Simply email cnhs_mailings-join@cnhs.org.uk to be added to the list and follow any instructions you are sent.  The list will only be used by the CNHS officers to send emails. You can unsubscribe by emailing cnhs_mailings-leave@cnhs.org.uk

Members receive a programme card three times a year by email, or printed if collected at a meeting, as well as emails informing them of forthcoming activities. Joining the Society gives you opportunities to meet people with shared interests and access to local experts.

Our subscription is : annual, £6 (£5 if paid by standing order); three years, £14; life £100.    Membership form  Join at any meeting or contact membership [at] cnhs,org.uk

Events and activities
Please see our events diary for a list of events relating to natural history taking place in the Cambridge area.

While restrictions on activities have eased, some events, including talks, are still taking place online. There may still be a need to book in advance, including for outdoor events, and some coronavirus precautions may still be in place. We advise checking with organisers.

Government advice is updated regularly and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus [opens in a new tab]

NatHistCam is our project which surveyed the natural history of the city of Cambridge. Its website [opens in a new tab] includes their blog on wildlife in Cambridge and information on the project as a whole. The book resulting from the project The Nature of Cambridge has now been published by Pisces Publications and can be bought from Nature Bureau.

Anglia Ruskin University Wildlife Society and the Cambridge University Nature Society are associate organisations.

We also have links with other local groups such as the Cambridge group of the Wildlife Trust and the Magog Trust.