Around Britain in 20 Ferns and their Allies
Ferns have been around for 360 million years, and made up the first primeval forest which covered the planet. When you stand in a damp fern-dominated woodland these days it is easy to be transported back in time with these striking and enigmatic group of plants.
This Species Recovery Trust course will focus of 20 key species of fern. The aim will be to show the key features of each species, using simple and memorable vegetative characteristics that can be used all year round.
The ability to confidently identify ferns can make all the difference between a good and amazing botanical survey, as well as giving huge enjoyment on a walk in the woods seeing how many species you can find in one go.
As well as the key species, we will also look at some of the weird and wonderful species such as the Adder's-tongues, Clubmosses and Pillwort that you might be lucky enough to encounter.
Although it is hard to exactly replicate the experience of learning in the field, this course does have the advantage of covering a wider range of species than would normally be possible, as well as a chance to see some of the vegetative features in close up (and no risk of your notes getting soaked in a rain storm!).
The course will include a pre-recorded tutorial interspersed with short self-tests, followed by an optional questions and answer session on Zoom. In addition there is a full test which can be revisited at any time on our website to help with revision.
Online.
Time: 10:00 GMT
