Anniversary Talk – Decolonising the Colonised – The Journey of the Non-Native Plants

Newcomers & Neighbours: The Journey of the Non-Native plants which have given us hope and beauty that now call Liverpool their home.

Join us for a guided walk through Sefton Park Palm House to explore plants that are native, non-native, and introduced—and how many have become naturalised neighbours, bringing beauty, resilience and pollinator value to the city. We’ll trace the journeys of plants brought to Liverpool through trade, horticulture and history and look at how we describe them today.

Along the way, we’ll gently unpack the “fear-words” that often show up in nature conversations—terms like alien, foreign, invader, infestation and eradicate—and swap them for clearer, more accurate alternatives such as introduced, non-indigenous, recent arrival, range-expanding and (only when it’s true) high-impact invasive non-native species. Expect a tour full of stories, nuance and practical ways to talk about biodiversity with both honesty and care.

25th Anniversary celebration event.