Botany for Beginners

How do you tell a daisy from a dandelion? What are grasses and sedges? How do ferns reproduce? How do mosses and vascular plants differ?

Botany for Beginners is a one-day introduction to the extraordinary diversity of Britain’s wild plants. Designed for those with little or no prior experience, this hands-on course will guide you through the fundamentals of finding, observing, and identifying plants in the field.

Through a blend of classroom learning and outdoor exploration, you’ll develop the skills to recognise key plant structures and distinguish major plant groups with confidence. You’ll gain experience using identification keys, deepen your understanding of plant families, and start to build a grounding in botanical terminology.

The day includes practical exercises, group activities, and a guided walk in a local greenspace, where you’ll apply what you've learned to wild specimens in their natural habitats.

This course is ideal for anyone with an interest in natural history who is looking to develop foundational plant identification and recording skills.

What will be covered during this course?

• Botanical Biology and Classification: Explore how plants are structured and classified, learn the key features of major groups, and understand how taxonomy helps us interpret botanical diversity.
• Identification Keys: Learn how to use botanical keys and field guides effectively, interpret diagnostic characters, and develop confidence with essential botanical terms.
• Botanical Fieldcraft: Discover techniques for locating, observing, and recording plants responsibly, including how to identify habitats, take useful field notes, and photograph specimens for identification.
• Specimen Identification: Examine a range of specimens to develop recognition of important morphological features used to identify plants to family or species group, such as leaf arrangement, flower structure, and reproductive traits.
• Recording and Conservation: Find out how plant records support biodiversity monitoring and conservation, and learn how to contribute your observations to the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland and your Local Environmental Records Centre.

Botany Specialist: Dr Mark Spencer

Mark Spencer is an experienced and internationally respected botanist. His expertise covers many disciplines including forensic botany, the plants of North-west Europe, invasive species and the history of botanical science. He also works globally as a seasoned writer, public speaker and television presenter. As a forensic botanist, Mark has worked on various missing person enquiries, murders and other serious crimes. He also has a strong interest in identifying and recording fungi.

Fees and refund policy

Non-professional Course Ticket (Free): Select this option if you are a non-professional (e.g. amateur naturalist, local group volunteer, undergraduate student or biological recorder). Tickets subsidised by Barnet Council .

Professional Course Ticket (£50): Select this option if you are a professional (e.g. ecologist, graduate student, researcher or are attending in relation to your vocation).

Ticket fees include an administrative fee of 20% that is non-refundable. This consists of approximately 10% for Eventbrite fees and 10% for time spent by the Biological Recording Company processing the order.

Further cancellation charges will also be incurred for the following:

• 20% admin fee + 10% cancellation fee for cancellations made over 90 days in advance of the date of the course.
• 20% admin fee + 30% cancellation fee for cancellations made within between 30 and 90 days of the date of the course.
• 20% admin fee + 80% cancellation fee for cancellations made within 30 days of the date of the course.

Hendon Town Halll

This course will take place at Hendon Town Hall, with the field component taking place at the nearby Hendon Grove. More information regarding the venue's facilities and how to get there can be found on the Barnet Council website: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/directories/council-buildings/hendon-town-hall

This event is being run as a collaboration between the Biological Recording Company and Barnet Council.