Are you a botanist who still shies away from the daisy look-alikes? Have you tried and failed to sort out the willows or the docks for instance? Do you find yourself saying “I don’t do crucifers or umbels or sedges”? This course does not expect to turn you into an expert in any of these plant groups, but to demystify where possible and to get you started.  It will be assumed that participants will be fairly familiar with other ‘easier’ groups of flowering plants, but that they are beginners at these, having never tried before or tried and failed.  We shall not be concerning ourselves overmuch with obscure hybrids and cultivars, but rather getting to grips with the basics of ‘difficult’ groups and understanding some of their intriguing beauty.

Ros Bennett is a freelance botanist and ecologist. She has been teaching courses on wildflower identification to professionals, amateurs and beginners from all age groups for over 40 years, both at home and abroad.