When surveying out of season or in grazed/mown habitats, being able to confidently identify grasses is an essential skill.
Poland and Clement’s Vegetative Key is a fantastic resource that is, in our experience, more likely to give you a correct identification than any other publication. It can however be daunting to use. Becoming proficient will enable year-round habitat surveying or simply allow you to get your botanical fix during the winter months!
The vast majority of the day will be spent practicing the key with the support of your expert tutor. Samples not found at the training venue (such as those of wetland and acidic habitats) will be brought in and excursions will be taken on foot to explore local habitats including a range of grassland and woodland types.
Teaching will be informal, with participants encouraged to practice the key independently in small groups. Time will also be spent discussing identification features in the field and revising commonly encountered species. Anatomy, terminology and the key itself will become second nature by the end of the day.
Fiona, a participant on our Vegetative Grass Identification course in October 2023 said, "I think you are the best tutor I've had in 25 years of learning."
Please let us know if you do not own a copy of the book (2nd edition) and we can bring sufficient print-outs.
https://www.summerfieldbooks.com/product/the-vegetative-key-to-the-british-flora-a-new-approach-to-plant-identification-naming-british-irish-vascular-plants-based-on-vegetative-characters/
Also let us know if you do not have access to a hand lens.
The 2025 course received an average rating of 4.97/5 from participants, with comments including:
"Laurie is an excellent trainer who distills complex topics into simple terms. The course has helped me feel much more confident in using what was a very daunting key."
"This was an excellent course that left me (a relatively inexperienced botanical surveyor) feeling confident in my ability to identify key grass species and got me excited (yes excited!) to use Poland's key on other specimens. Our instructor was clear, patient, pragmatic, and really helped us focus on what is relevant/important - thoroughly enjoyed this course!"
"Poland will now be my go to key for grasses and without the course I wouldn't have had the skills or confidence to use it in the field."
