This series of walks will explore the plant life and landscape of Greenwich Park. Participants will be introduced the basics of examining (including the use of hand lenses) and appreciating the wild and garden plants growing in the park. The history of the site (and the nearby Blackheath) and the impact of centuries of change upon the habitats and flora will be also explored. Mark will also introduce the basics of wildlife recording and the importance of amateur contributions to the knowledge of London’s natural history heritage and conservation.
Tutor: Mark Spencer.
Mark’s life-long passion for plants began in his childhood wandering the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall and the Northamptonshire countryside. He studied Horticulture at Kew Gardens, after which he did a botany degree and a PhD in mycology. Mark was a senior curator at the Natural History Museum, where he worked for 12 years. His botanical interests are wide-ranging but currently are particularly focused on the flora of London (he is the Botanical Society of the British Isles vice-county recorder for Middlesex and the Vascular Plant Recorder for the London Natural History Society). Mark is an active fellow of the Linnean Society of London where he is honorary botany curator of their globally important collections.
This course is delivered as part of Greenwich Park Revealed, The Royal Parks.
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