Introduction to Aquatic Plant Identification

This course is now fully booked.

A day course aimed at the keen beginner and improver alike, providing an introduction to how to identify aquatic plants. Our day will be spent on the beautiful Montgomery Canal just south of Llanymynech and will look at the many wonderful species that can be found growing in and along it. From Yellow Waterlilies to Duckweeds, Floating Water-plantain to Water Soldiers we will see a wide variety of the species that call the Montgomery Canal home.

The day will start with an introduction to the basics of aquatic plant identification, followed by the identification of commoner species using a key. We will look at the different niches each species occupies including marginals, floating, and submerged species. Emphasis will be placed on those characters that allow reliable and accurate identification. Later on we will look at determining the more unusual species. Use will be made of the excellent ‘British Water Plants’ key and by the end of the day participants should feel confident in the use of this key. The only requirements for this course are an enthusiasm for plants and moderate walking ability.

Tutor: Mark Duffell

Mark Duffell has had a lifetime interest in plants, gaining the RHS Diploma in Horticulture and completing an MSc in Biological Recording. He now runs Arvensis Ecology, splitting his time between conducting botanical surveys and teaching botanical identification and survey techniques to undergraduate and postgraduate students, consultancies and environmental organisations.