Adult Education
I am an experienced Adult Education tutor, and have developed and run courses in Botany, Genetics and Microscopy at Botanic Gardens and other organisations throught the South East.
Many of my 2020 courses were either cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19, but I now have two courses planned for this Autumn. Watch this space as I am hoping to be able to add more for next year!
Current courses
Introduction to Botany (now fully booked)
Venue: Field Studies Council, at the Amersham Field Centre, Mop End 
Saturday 3rd October 2020, 10am - 4pm
£42.00
This classroom-based course is for anyone who would like a relaxed introduction to the world of botany, and includes a combination of presentations and practical work.
We will look at the basic plant parts (roots, stems and leaves) and develop an understanding of their core functions, and how these can vary. An introduction to photosynthesis will be given, followed by a brief look at climate and soil types in Britain, and how these factors impact on plants. After a short break we will move on to floral structure, and participants will learn how to recognise the parts of a flower by carrying out a guided dissection. The process of pollination will be covered, and we will consider how choice of flower shape and colour influences the types of pollinators we attract to our gardens. To round off the morning we will look at some of the plants growing at Mop End and relate what can be seen outside to what we have covered in the morning.
Following a lunch break we will investigate the anatomy of a range of fruits and seeds, with plenty of samples provided for dissection. We will look at the physiology of seed germination and examples of the biggest and smallest seeds in the plant world will be available to look at. The last session will be spent returning to flowers, and looking at the characteristics of a selected group of our most common plant families. We will have a good look at how flowers vary between families, with plenty of time to pull samples apart, using hand lenses and a dissecting microscope.
This is an informative, lively and informal course, with plenty of hands-on work and the opportunity for questions and discussions throughout.
Please book your place via the FSC website:
https://www.field-studies-council.org/shop/courses/introduction-to-botany/
Previous courses
Woodland Wildlife
Venue: Field Studies Council, at the Amersham Field Centre, Mop End
Wednesday 16th September 2020, 10am - 12.30pm
This relaxed half-day course offers complete beginners an introduction to the most common plants and animals that can be found in a mixed UK woodland. The trees give any woodland its basic structure, and we will learn to recognise a few common conifers and broadleaved trees. Smaller plants grow beneath the tree canopy, on the woodland floor; the density of the canopy above, and the quality of the soil beneath will determine exactly which species survive in this lower layer of vegetation. Between them, these trees and the smaller plants provide food and shelter for an impressive range of animal life, including woodlice, slugs, beetles, mice, squirrels, rabbits, badgers, deer, foxes and a huge variety of birds.
Participants will be led on a gentle stroll through the woods at Mop End. We will stop regularly along the way to learn how to recognise various plants, and to talk about how they are used by the animal life in the woodland. We will talk about food chains and the role that each species plays in the life of the woodland. Participants will learn to recognise woodland of different ages, and we will hunt for ‘animal evidence’ along the way.
Learn to look at Plants: An Introduction to Field Botany
Venue: Field Studies Council, at the Amersham Field Centre, Mop End
Saturday 18th May 2019, 10am – 4pm
This day course, based mainly outdoors, is for anyone wanting to learn about the common plants that grow in our fields, hedgerows and woods. Participants will develop their confidence in recognising and naming key plants during guided ‘nature walks’. Practise using a field guide and get your plant questions answered!
Botany for Gardeners
Venue: Chelsea Physic Garden, London
Friday 17th July 2020, 10am – 4pm
This course in basic botany is for complete beginners, and looks at leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruits and seeds. Participants will learn about the structure and function of these plant parts, and discover how some have become modified through evolution to play a different role in the plant’s life.
