Why identify flowers?
Flower identification will be crucial to you if you are involved with the management of, or surveying and protection of, any site. Flowers are at the base of the food chain and so many other species ultimately depend upon them. They are relatively easy to locate and, once learnt, they are quickly identified making them ideal indicators of management and they will highlight any decrease in habitat quality. In essence flowers are key in basic surveying of any site, assessing habitat quality, placing sites into NVC and determining effectiveness of site management.
Many species have particular habitat requirements and many are decreasing as habitats change. Identifying and monitoring flowers is key to managing any site. This is a group that it is vital to identify and understand in survey work and if management of a site is to benefit as wide a range of species as possible.
The course
This one day course gives you the basics of how to identify flowers. As with all Project Fred courses we intend to give you the tools with which to identify the subject, so that you can then identify flowers when you are on your own.
Learn about
- Identification, both in the classroom and in the field
- The main flower families and how to tell if a species belongs to one of them
- Books to use - there are several flower books available. We give you advice on what to look out for when choosing one, where to get them from and which ones we feel are best
- Flower terminology - some of the technical terms for parts explained!
Highlights include
- Unique keys, developed by Project Fred, to help you identify flowers quickly. Many books do not have a good starting point for identifying a flower. We have developed a key that overcomes this problem and enables any species to be fairly quickly identified.
- Field work - to develop identification skills and field craft
- Slide show covering habitats and identification characteristics
- Hand outs covering identification hints, books to use and a glossary of terms
Equipment and things to bring
If you have a hand lens or magnifying glass do bring them. A pair of binoculars used the wrong way round can suffice.
A notebook and pencil are useful, plus any field guides that you may have. We shall bring copies of a range of guides, but we recommended the following as one of the better guides for the beginner, however it is out of print at the moment, so you will need to buy a second hand copy.
Fitter, R., Fitter, A. and Blamey, M. Wildflowers of Britain and Northern Europe. The Pocket Guide. Published by Collins (1974, 5th Edition 2003) ISBN = 0-00-220062-7
The course will involve some walking, but there will be nothing too strenuous. Strong, comfortable walking boots or shoes are therefore important, as is a good selection of appropriate clothing to the time of year. A small rucksack will also be useful for carrying your equipment. Drinks and snacks can also be bought along.
Cost
£40 per person. Group size minimum 5 and maximum 15 people. Smaller groups can be catered for at a standard cost of £200 per course. Larger groups may also be accommodated. Conservation Groups and Charities may be able to get a discount. Please contact us to discuss.
