Grass identification for beginners

The grass family is one of huge ecological and economic importance.  Grasses play a dominant role in the landscape and provide food for a vast variety and number of animals including humankind.  Their role in evolution and throughout history cannot be overestimated.  The course is designed to give the beginner a sound foundation in identifying our native grasses.  By mid-June many will be flowering when they are at their most attractive.  We shall not be hunting for rarities or clocking up a long list of species, but rather we shall spend time consolidating an understanding and developing confidence to tackle their identification independently by learning to use keys and hand lenses.  Spending plenty of time in the Garden, we will concentrate on the commoner species and focus particularly on their floral, rather than vegetative, features.

This course is suitable for beginners.

Ros Bennett is a freelance botanist and ecologist whose work has taken her to many parts of the globe.  Her expertise lies principally in the native floras of Europe.   She runs plant taxonomy courses for professionals and amateurs in many branches of botany.  Her regular clientele includes professional ecologists, amateur naturalists, ethnobotanists, postgraduate students and trainee gardeners.   She works on behalf of many organisations – in particular the Field Studies Council, Kent Wildlife Trust, various ecological consultancies and universities (most recently – Birmingham, Kent, Manchester Metropolitan and Cambridge).