Individuals & Families 2008 | Natural History

Flowers and Other Plants

This section introduces the courses offered on the plant kingdom throughout the FSC. However, as you will see from the list of course titles, this phrase is interpreted fairly liberally and includes ‘for convenience’ groups such as lichens and fungi, as well as the flowering plants.

Flowers	Trees
Grasses and Grasslike Plants	Ferns
Freshwater and Wetland Plants	Lichens
Fungi	General Plants
Mosses and Liverworts	Plant Galls

Most courses involve a strong emphasis on identification skills, starting with general principles and moving on to more detailed identification using appropriate guides and specialised ‘keys’. From the experience of the plants you discover during our courses, you should leave confident that you can recognise and name unfamiliar plants in future. The process and skills of identification are at the heart of our teaching, not least because they are the basis for all further investigations into the world of plants.

The majority of courses listed are open to people at any level of interest. There are also some specifically designed for beginners and others at intermediate level, where appropriate previous knowledge and experience will be assumed. Some courses in this section are part of the University of Birmingham Certificate in Biological Recording and Species Identification. Further details are available in our Professional Development section.

For specific courses on biological monitoring and habitat management please see the Habitats and Conservation section.