About the event

Join us for a day of plant ID at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve. We will start the day by introducing the concept of plant keys and providing an overview of the structure of a plant. We will then explore the characteristic features of 4 frequently encountered plant families:

· Carrot family (Apiaceae)

· Pea family (Fabaceae)

· Mint family (Lamiaceae)

· Daisy family (Asteraceae)

We will finish the day by heading outdoors and hunting for members of our focal plant families.

The event has been jointly organised by the South Warwickshire Area Network for Wildlife (SWAN) and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. The Natural Capital Assessment Partnership (NCAP) team, managed by the Trust and which provides habitat data for Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull, will be providing the training.

Spaces are limited and so booking is essential

Timetable for the day

10.00 – 10.15 Arrival (Tea / Coffee provided)

10.15 – 11.30 Welcome followed by introduction to taxonomy basics and plant keys

11.30 – 11.45 Break

11.45 – 13.30 Focus on characteristic features of 4 plant families.

13.30 – 14.15 Lunch Break (please bring your own packed lunch)

14.15 – 15:45 Outdoor session – searching for members of the 4 plant families

15:45 – 16:00 Round-up of the day

Please bring:

· Packed lunch and a water bottle.

· Pens or pencils and a notepad.

· A packet of biscuits – this is for one of the exercises and then for the break!

· Outdoor clothing suitable for the weather on the day and sunscreen (unless the weather is particularly bad, we will have an outdoor session whether rain or shine).

· Shoes suitable for walking around the nature reserve which may include uneven ground.

· Any plant ID equipment, e.g. hand lenses / ID guides that you have handy (optional).