Discover more as you learn about Botany and improve your skills on our beginner to advanced courses.
We run regular botany courses throughout the year delivered online and UK wide by expert tutors and follow a framework to progress your learning at a level to suit you.
Botany is the study of plants and at Field Studies Council we offer a wide range of Botany Courses, covering topics from the huge to the microscopic.
Without plants, our planet would be dead. They are the base of all terrestrial food chains so we are all dependent on their power as they can harness the suns energy. It is important to understand the requirements of plants to good growth conditions. It is also great to understand the structure of these vital components of our ecosystems. This section covers a multitude of plant-based areas.
What does botany cover?
Plant science is an important topic and enjoying a resurgence and in this section we examine some practical applications through exploring Forensic ecology, Plant morphology, Field Botany and honing the specific skills needed in botanical surveying.
Whether your interest is in aquatic, hill, coast or woodland plants, identification to detailed inquiries, we have experts who are passionate about their subject, running botany courses throughout the year.
Growing plants has long been practiced in many different cultures and in the UK wildlife gardening and permaculture are resurging interests.
Learn the key features of flowering plants and explore different habitats to uncover the variety of wildflower species specific to certain areas. Learn how to confidently use field guides and identification keys.
Botany Identification Courses
Our botany courses are delivered by experts in the field, and will equip you with the skills and knowledge to discover more about plants. Our beginner courses are for anyone interested in discovering and exploring the ecology of British botany. You can learn how to identify the key characteristics of flowering and non-flowering plants, and acquire or improving identification and survey skills. We also offer licensing courses for more advanced levels.
Training is led by expert tutors who are passionate about the subject. Taking place at venues across the UK, or online, our courses are designed to progress your learning at a level to suit your needs. If you are interested in our botany online training, you can read about our Moodle learning environment.
Each course is part of a learning framework. You can see the course level descriptions here. Natural history courses are available at all levels from beginner through to professional training.
Identification Resources:
Describing flowers guide describes and illustrates the main characters used in identification.This will help considerably in the interpretation of the flower, making passage through the identification key much easier.
Water plants AIDGAP is an identification guide to all the larger native and naturalised plants found both in still and flowing freshwater. It covers true aquatics, emergents, and the aquatic forms of species normally found out of water
Botanical Partners
Wildflower Society (WFS) the UK’s society for everyone who enjoys learning about British wildflowers visit The Wildflower Society website
The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. To apply, please download the form from the BSBI website