Field Botany of Flowering Plants

This course is a field-based botanical study of flowering plants with a focus on spring and summer wildflowers.  Students learn plant systematics and advanced field identification skills through intensive field exercises and exploration of a variety of habitats.  Emphasis is on learning botanical terms and concepts through exploring the field-observable characteristics of flowering plants.  The program includes extensive use of botanical keys and field guides, as well as daily hands-on experience with the flora.  Accompanying lecture topics include the evolution of plants, plant taxonomy, flower morphology, pollination ecology and a survey of the angiosperm families. The course will be divided into a distance-learning section and on campus section.