development and uses of the FlatfordWildlife Garden.Woodland Plants: Identification and EcologyJH. O. 11 May-13 May. Fri-Sun. £268. £202A weekend course for countrysideprofessionals and amateur naturalists alikewho want to improve their skills inwoodland plant identification. You willbecome familiar with the trees andspringtime flowers as well as traditionallydifficult groups such as woodland grasses,sedges, ferns and other less conspicuousplants in the ground flora using both easyfield characters and botanical keys. AndreaKiewittis a botanist and ecologist workingfor the Forestry Commission as a woodlandvegetation research scientist.Botany for BeginnersMA . O . 25 May-27 May . Fri-Sun . £230 . £157The plant kingdom is hugely varied and canbe very difficult and daunting for those whohave little or no experience. This coursewill introduce simple techniques and theuse of field guides to enable identification ofa wide variety of plant families and species.Mark Duffellhas a lifelong interest inplants with expertise in botany andhorticulture. Arctic Alpines RC. O. 01 Jun-04 Jun. Fri-Mon. £295. £180A fascinating introduction to the ecology ofsome of Britain's rarest and ancient plantcommunities. Arctic-alpines now survive injust a few upland refuges such as thespectacular mountains of Snowdonia.Suitable for beginners or experiencedbotanists. Pete Kayis Assistant Head ofCentre and senior ecologist at Rhyd-y-creuau.Top 10 Plant FamiliesPM. O. 07 Jul. Sat. Non-residential. £30Plant identification is fun and rewarding,adding interest to countryside visits andoften leading to further understanding ofimportant wildlife sites. Getting to gripswith plant families helps anyone to make astart and name that plant. This course isclassroom-based to help you understandthe layout in flower guides and inspireconfidence in field identification. JohnHandleyis a professional in the land-basedindustries and is currently studying for anMSc in Biological Recording specialising inbotanical work.Woodland Plants: Identification and EcologyFM. O. 27 Jul-30 Jul. Fri-Mon. £342. £244A course aiming to improve your skills inthe identification of wild plants ofwoodland habitats including trees, herbs,grasses, sedges, rushes and some of thecommon lower plants as well. It will beparticularly useful for anyone involved inbiological surveying either professionally orat an enhanced amateur level. AndreaKiewittis a botanist and ecologist workingfor the Forestry Commission as a woodlandvegetation research scientist.Plants: Medicinal Uses and FolkloreRC. O. 03 Aug-05 Aug. Fri-Sun. £225. £175A walk in the woods or a stroll along ahedgerow can reveal more than you mayat first realise. This course aims toprovide an introduction to the wild herbswhich you may see growing in nativehedgerows or woodland and willintroduce you to the skills for identifyingthese plants, as well as the folkloreassociated with them. Heather Jacksonhas a passion for the study of plants andtheir properties. She has a degree in plantsciences, has been a qualifiedaromatherapist for 17 years and hasworked on the restoration of medicinalgardens and the design of sensorygardens. Botany for GardenersPM. O. 07 Aug-11 Aug. Tue-Sat. £350. £255A course aimed at the amateur orprofessional gardener, providing anintroduction to botany. The course willexplain and illustrate the seeminglymysterious terminology and introducebasic botanical structures and key featuresfor a range of garden and wildflowers.Detailed study will be made of individualspecies, their characteristics and how theyfit into their families. At the end of coursethere will be the opportunity to visit theShrewsbury Flower Show. Mark Duffellhas had a lifelong interest in plants withexpertise in both horticulture and botany. Summer Flora of North WalesRC. O. 13 Aug-17 Aug. Mon-Fri. £345. £260A course for anyone eager to learn about thedifferent plants found in the myriad ofhabits surrounding Snowdonia. Againstthe backdrop of the National Park,participants will cover the sometimesconfusing structure of plants and flowers ina clear simple way. There will also be anintroduction to using field guides and keysto aid identification. Chris Metherellis theBSBI Vice-County Recorder for northNorthumberland and an experiencedbotanist. The Secret Gardens of the Lake DistrictBL. O. 20 Aug-24 Aug. Mon-Fri. £360. £270This interesting and relaxing course willoffer participants the opportunity to visitsome of the finest gardens in the LakeDistrict. The tour includes well-known andloved gems of the Lakes together with agenerous sprinkling of smaller gardens.Doug Stewartis a professionalhorticulturist, garden writer andbroadcaster. He is much in demand as anamusing and informative speaker at gardenclubs and presents gardening programmeson BBC local radio. Identifying Coastal PlantsFM. I. 23 Aug-26 Aug. Thu-Sun. £342. £244This course is for anyone who would like tolearn how to identify the more specialisedplants found on the coast. We will cover themain families represented in the east ofEngland, which will help you focus onother species when you test out your skillselsewhere. Ros Bennettis a freelancebotanist, ecologist, former member of FSCstaff and an experienced tutor in the UKand overseas..the UK flora. *BIVegetative Plant IdentificationMA. O. 31 Aug-02 Sep. Fri-Sun. £230. £157In many books and courses the focus ofplant identification is flowers. This courseaims to help improve identification ofplants vegetatively using a variety of fieldtechniques and the Vegetative Key to theBritish Floraby John Poland. Looking atseveral families of plants across a variety ofhabitats, participants will focus on the keystructures and features which allowaccurate identification of plants no matterwhat time of year. Mark Duffell has alifelong interest in plants with expertise inbotany and horticulture. Spring quillClive HurfordNEWNEWNEWNEWNEWwww.field-studies-Flowers & other Plantscouncil.org/plants35Discounts for shared accommodationShared accommodation is usually available on our residential courses at a discounted price. The cost is(see page 2)normally around £10 per night less than sole occupancy price. Please contact the Centre for an exact price.centreleveldatesdayssole occupancynon-residentialfee FM . O . 01 Feb-03 Feb . Fri-Sun . £174 . £135

LichensThe British Lichen Societyencourages all aspects of thestudy of lichens and theirconservation. For moreinformation about the Society,and how to join, see thewebsite: www.thebls.org.uk.This is the second year of a series of daycourses, Introducing Lichens 1 andIntroducing Lichens 2, sponsored by theBritish Lichen Society. Courses are all runby members of the British Lichen Society,all of whom have extensive knowledge oflichens and a passion for teaching othersabout these fascinating life forms. Thecourses can be taken together, or as stand-alone events. Both are suitable forbeginners.Introducing Lichens 1SL11 FebSatNon-residential £35MT25 FebSatNon-residential £35OR17 MarSatNon-residential £35EF31 MarSatNon-residential £35JH21 AprSatNon-residential £35FM15 MayTueNon-residential £35PM26 MaySatNon-residential £35This one-day course presents lichens toanyone keen to learn what they are andhow to recognise some of the morecommon species. The day includes anintroductory talk, a field excursion and useof simple charts and keys to help youidentify species with confidence.Introducing Lichens 2MT31 MarSatNon-residential £35OR31 MarSatNon-residential £35JH12 MaySatNon-residential £35PM23 JunSatNon-residential £35SL21 AugTueNon-residential £35FM20 SepThuNon-residential £35This one-day course helps participantsdevelop their interest in and knowledge oflichens. Lichens will be investigated intheir local habitats along with characters toaid field identification. The biology and themany uses of lichens, including aspollution indicators, will be introduced. Iftime is available participants may be able touse microscopes to study lichens further orundertake a small project.Identifying Lichens FM. O. 09 Mar-11 Mar. Fri-Sun. £230. £164This course introduces the identificationand ecology of lichens, concentrating ontheir growth forms, reproductive strategiesand habitat requirements. A combinationof field excursions, microscope work anduse of keys will help you to developconfidence in essential identification skills.John Skinneris the Manager of SouthendMuseum and has extensive experiencerecording the lichens of the region.Lichen IdentificationKD. I. 30 Mar-06 Apr. Fri-Fri. £475. £356Most people who know something aboutthem think that lichens are fascinating, butmany feel fearful about starting to look atthem because of their reputation for being'difficult'. This course lasts for an entireweek so even if you are abeginner, you willhave time and opportunity to feelcomfortable and gain confidence in lookingat lichens both in the field and thelaboratory. Rebecca Yahrhas been studyinglichen evolution, ecology and conservationfor 15 years and is currently working at theRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Lichens in their HabitatsOR. B. 11 Apr-15 Apr. Wed-Sun. £390. £310A course for beginners and more advancedparticipants interested in conservation andmanagement of habitats for lichens. Itincludes aspects of monitoring populationsof notable species, the identification ofdifficult groups and the application of reddata lists and indicator lists to assess sitequality and condition. Pat Wolseleyis aLichenologist at the Natural HistoryMuseum and former President of theBritish Lichen Society. Ray Woodsis LowerPlants Officer Plantlife Cymru and aleading authority on lichens in Wales.Lichens and Lichenicolous FungiSL. O. 17 Aug-20 Aug. Fri-Mon. £335. £225A workshop-style course coveringidentification of lichens, and also the fungithat are obligately associated with them,both in the field and under the microscope.Ideal for those with enthusiasm and a littleknowledge wishing to increase theirconfidence and learn more. Advantage willbe taken of the rich material of lichens andlichenicolous fungi present in Slapton andin its vicinity. David Hawksworthis aformer President of the British LichenSociety and author of numerous articles onlichens and associated fungi.Lichens in the Dales: An Introductory CourseMT . O . 24 Aug-27 Aug . Fri-Mon . £335 . £229The Malham Tarn area is rich in lichenspecies, occurring on rocks, trees and soil,allowing the beginner to form a useful andinformative collection of material.Methods of collection and examination willbe explained and specimens from the fieldwill be examined further at the Centre.Gain confidence in using simpleidentification keys and chemical tests andobtain an understanding of their biologyand impact on the landscape. A course forbeginners or those with little experiencewith lichens, though the more experiencedare also welcome. Allan Pentecost, anexperienced tutor, has published manyresearch papers on lichens includingMalham Tarn Lichen Flora. He has beenvisiting and collecting in the area for over30 years.Identifying Lichens at Intermediate LevelFM. I. 07 Sep-09 Sep. Fri-Sun. £230. £164This intermediate level weekend on lichenidentification is for anyone with someinitial experience of this group who wouldlike to take their interest several stagesfurther. As in our March course, there willbe a combination of field excursions,microscope work and use of keys to helpyou with lichen identification. JohnSkinnerruns our lichen course forbeginners and is looking forward tohelping people extend their knowledge andto encourage more recording of lichens inEast Anglia and beyond.Usnea floridaClive HurfordNEW36*Accredited courses which could count towards a qualification (see page 43).BLBlencathra .DFDale Fort . DGDerrygonnelly .EFEpping Forest .FMFlatford Mill . JHJuniper Hall .KDKindrogan .MTMalham Tarn .MAMargam .OROrielton .PMPreston Montford .RCRhyd-y-creuau .SLSlapton Ley