This beginner-intermediate course will focus on lichens as they are found in birch and pine woodland.
You will be introduced to some of the characteristic lichen species and their identification characteristics as can be seen with a hand lens in the field, as well as investigate the range of substrata present in these habitats and the specific lichen communities these attract, and aspects of their ecology.
Tutor: Petra Vergunst
Petra Vergunst is a field ecologist specialised in lichens and bryophytes based in NE Scotland. To engage people with lichens and bryophytes and help with identification, she runs the website Scottish Lichens and facilitates the similarly-named Facebook group. Petra is passionate about biological recording as a means to monitor the quality of the environment and has done extensive surveys of woodland and forest, the heritage landscape and coastline of NE Scotland. An ecologist by training, she is interested in how land management, nutrient-enrichment and other forms of disturbance influence the presence (and absence), lifecycle and ecology of lichens.
Sorry this course booking is closed
