PSNS is Perth’s meeting place for all people with an interest in the Natural World.  Since its founding in 1867, PSNS has been at the centre of Perth’s cultural and intellectual life. The Society has four ‘Sections’, each devoted to a particular interest. These include:

  • Botany;
  • Ornithology;
  • Photography;
  • Archaeology and History.

Each Section organizes its own series of activities and you can find the programmes listed on this site.

PSNS also runs a series of public lectures on Friday evenings from October to March in partnership with Culture Perth and Kinross. The talks, called “Curious Minds” explore the theme of Contemporary Science in Scotland. We invite speakers from Universities and other Research Institutions to come along and tell us about their work – with no jargon and no complicated equations. We have enjoyed two very successful seasons with talks ranging from mud houses in Errol through the physiology of seals to black holes and the Higgs boson. As one of our guests said “It’s like going to the gym – for your brain”.

We have a great programme for 2018/19, with 12 speakers lined up covering a wide and eclectic range of subjects.

You can find full details of the 2018/19 programme, with ticket information, on the Curious Minds page.

A summary programme of all winter lectures, including the meetings of the Sections, can be downloaded here psns-full-programme-2018-19.

The Society’s AGM will be held on Friday 15 March 2019 at 7:30 pm in the Soutar Theatre at the AK Bell Library in Perth. Details have been circulated to members. The meeting will be followed by two presentations:

  • ‘Fungi and a Parrot’ – some ramifications of going on fungal forays and reading the field guides, by Jeff Banks
  • ‘Georgia: a country at the crossroads of history, geography and culture’, by Tom Ryan.

Admission free; all are welcome, although only PSNS members can vote at the AGM.