Early Season Grass Identification

A one-day course giving participants;

• confidence in identifying key grasses when not in flower
• a good feel for grass groups of neutral and unimproved calcareous grassland and their use as indicator species
• a chance to learn memorable features, allowing grasses in any condition to be identified to species level

Nearly every species of grass and most sedges have at least one key feature, which can be used to pinpoint them to genus and species level. This course aims to teach people to spot and memorise these characters for the majority of common species and some of the more specialised species found on unimproved grasslands.

This training day will give participants the confidence to identify a wide range of grasses at a time of year when many of them are not flowering. Throughout the day several species will be repeatedly examined and candidates tested on these, leaving them able to confidently identify 20 species. The workshop will be carried out on 3 different grassland types, and also focus on using indicator grasses to assess habitat type and quality.

About the tutor

Dominic Price is a highly regarded botanical tutor and has been running courses for all levels of ecologists since 2007. He is director of The Species Recovery Trust and specialises in the conservation of endangered species. He is the author of A Field Guide to Grasses, Sedges and Rushes, and co-author of A Field Guide to Bryophytes and The Photographic Guide to Winter Trees and Shrubs.

What to bring

• Notebook/clipboard
• Water, lunch and snacks, firm boots (steep banks for some of the day) and outdoor clothing (see below)
• Hand lens (there will be some to purchase on the day)
• £3 for parking at Old Sarum (contactless payment usually available)

The recommended text for the course is 'A Field Guide to Grasses, Sedges and Rushes' by Dominic Price, available to purchase on the day, through the 'Add-on' ticket options on Eventbrite, or in advance here.

Directions

Old Sarum is signed off the A345, 2 miles north of Salisbury. Meet in the main car park (where there are loos). Address: Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire - SP1 3SD. There is a £3 charge for parking (contactless payment available).Google maps - click here

what3words: harsh.parading.flattered

Timings

We apologise that the site does not open until 10am, so please do not attempt to enter the site before 10:05am as it very quickly blocks the access track if there is a delay in site opening. If you are coming from far we appreciate it is hard to time this, but there is a pull-in just to the south of the site (opposite the Harvester) where you can wait, or a small Co-op or large Waitrose further south on the edge of town.

10:05 Arrive on site

10:15 Course starts

12:30 Lunch

1:00 Species recaps

15:45 Course ends

These courses do often end earlier but please be prepared that it may go on until this time

Extra Info

Old Sarum can be extremely exposed to the weather and there are no indoor facilities beyond the loos. Any problems on the day please call Dominic Price on 07968 786390.

Please inform us of any relevant medical requirements/conditions we should be aware of prior to the course.

Lifts available from/back to Salisbury station on request.

Adverse weather

This is an outdoor run course on an exposed site, and as such we request that participants bring suitable clothing including sunhats, sunblock, and full waterproofs & fleeces. As the climate breaks down, we do occasionally have severe weather where either it is very difficult to take notes due to prolonged heavy rain, or temperatures have reached a point where long exposure can be detrimental to health.

In these instances, we will run a condensed version of the course, where we aim to see all the species before lunch but have less time to take notes on them. We will then give attendees free access to the corresponding online course for 24 hours, which means you can take notes and look at the species in more detail in the comfort of your home. We have built a corresponding online catalogue of courses for this purpose, and we therefore feel we can offer the same training experience while looking after attendees' welfare in the field.

Therefore if you look at the forecast before the course and start panicking - don’t worry, we’ve got you!

Course certificate

This course can be used as part of your Continuing Professional Development (CPD). We invite attendees to download their own certificate and complete the numbers of hours spent on the course, as we are aware some attendees spend more time reading up about courses before the day, and writing their notes up and sitting the online course tests afterwards. The hours on your certificate should accurately reflect this time.

Feedback from previous courses

‘I really enjoyed the course and found it much more useful than courses I have attended recently’

‘Just wanted to say thank you for such an enjoyable and interesting day. Dominic is always such an excellent and relaxed tutor, who can even make learning grasses so enjoyable.’

‘Dominic is a brilliant teacher, it's the quirks one remembers well, not keys.’

'Relaxed atmosphere, so it didn't feel as though you were under pressure to get things right '