Last week we brought you a report by Julia Hanmer, BSBI's Chief Executive, of the BSBI online plant families ID workshop she attended on 22nd May and we promised you a report by BSBI Fundraising Manager Sarah Woods of a more conventional ID meeting she attended on the same day. Now read on to find out what Sarah made of her day in the field...
"I had no idea what to expect when I stepped off the train in
Cambridge for my first ever BSBI field meeting; but thanks to
Jonathan Shanklin’s comprehensive and reassuring advanced emails, and a
judicious warning from a friendly soul to prepare for all weathers, I felt I at
least had the gear to survive the day without embarrassment on the kit front.
Whether I’d know my hogweeds from my horsetails remained to be seen…but as the
day was aimed at botanical beginners, I felt reassured that I’d be in safe hands.
"As a complete novice, a couple of features of the meeting
stood out in particular; number one being the amount of time it was possible to
spend in an area the size of a squash court (image above right). The newly established meadow just
beyond the meeting area was Jonathan’s jumping off point for us, demonstrating
how the redevelopment of a habitat through sowing could see a progression from
domination of one species to slow integration of many, many species. It was
fascinating to see the level of detail he was able to recall about individual plants,
but also to navigate up close the process of deciding what features of a plant
distinguish it from its near neighbours when using a key. I particularly
enjoyed the fringing of hairs to either side of the stem of a Veronica
chamaedrys (Germander speedwell) – apparently likened to the fringe of Native
American hide pants" (images above left and below right).
Back to Sarah’s account:
"The second feature that became apparent was the wealth of
inherited data and knowledge that such work draws upon – it was brilliant to
have supplied for us the species data for the site and to watch Jonathan
perform his recording duties as we began to travel through the site. This
window into the activities of an expert, and the process of recording, made the
day all the more aspirational for a naïve but keen newbie!
"A number of discussions over the course of the day helped me
put my own purpose and goal for the day into perspective, as we moved from
looking at the different habitats of pools (apparently formerly favourite
bathing spots of Lord Byron), to a riverbank and some woodland. Whilst more
experienced botanists can be more self-directed and independent on a field
meeting, said Jonathan, beginners asked the most unnerving questions of the
expert, and rather than seeing a plant for the hundredth time, would be looking
at it with the freshest eyes (better than my first birdwatching experience in
Canada, when I diligently asked what the large black bird was, only to be told
‘a crow’…).
"Also expounded was the notion that ‘everyone looks with
different eyes’, something I had not previously appreciated. We learnt that not
only will two individuals view a plant differently (regardless of the plant’s own peculiarities),
which can make one key-writer’s description further from your own experience,
but that even your own eyes will perceive colour different to each other. As each
of us recognises patterns in different ways, bringing our own idiosyncrasies
to not just the process of identification, but also to noticing the plants
within their habitat in the first place.
"This was demonstrated most simply when we moved along to a
patch of protected conservation area to look for Adder’s-tongue ferns (image on right). Even as
a novice, the promise of seeing these in the flesh had been a source of
excitement in Jonathan’s preparatory emails. Previously, I’d seen a few of
these bizarre-looking green structures popping up on Instagram and Twitter. We
waded cautiously into the area that they were known to be, and everyone began
crouching very close to the moss and scrub. Suddenly, one of the group had
found one – if a little nibbled. It was tiny; I couldn’t believe the shiny,
robust looking plant I’d seen given the full focus of multiple photos was this
diminutive! And then we couldn’t move for seeing them. As our eyes adjusted to
the tone of green we were looking to pick out, an entire ecosystem came into
view. Suddenly, one of our group had also discovered a spot-marked orchid
rosette. And then, towards the edge of the area, I saw something equally green,
but (to my naïve eyes) definitely not an Adder’s-tongue. It took a couple of
“Um…Jonathan?”’s for me to work up the voice to get his attention, but I was
rewarded by being told I’d found a Common Twayblade (image below left). Luckily this seemed to get
everyone excited! Fair to say, when Jonathan later updated us to say this is
only the second record of a Common Twayblade in the wider Cambridge City area, my
understanding of the plant hunter’s thrill of the chase became well and truly
established.
"Heading home at the end of a great day’s introduction to
botany in the field, I reflected that my brain felt a little like it’d been
subject to a fascinating tour in Japanese or something similar – a little
shell-shocked by the amount of information, and the number of new terms, ideas
and features that had been shown to exist in locations I thought I knew well.
But Jonathan’s care to integrate all the interests of the group, whilst
bringing out all that was on offer in the site, made the experience feel far
from formulaic or like a classroom. It was fantastic to meet others who had
different experiences of engaging in plant identification, and to be able to
look to them as a model of what can be learnt through some trial, error and
enthusiasm. And, perhaps best of all, how this knowledge can then be passed on
to the next new cohort of budding botanists who will ask the hardest questions
and see with the freshest eyes".
So, Sarah's first day of field botany left her "a little shell-shocked" but obviously chuffed to bits that she'd notched up only the second record for Cambridge city of a Common Twayblade! Proof that even when you are just starting out in field botany, if you keep your eyes peeled you can make new discoveries and spot plants that even the more experienced botanists had overlooked. My guess is that once she has checked out the resources and ID tips on our orchid ID and fern ID pages, tried all the suggestions on our 'Getting Started' page and looked at the series of Moira O'Donnell's ID sheets on our plant ID for beginners page, those new discoveries will start coming thick and fast - and fingers crossed she'll keep us updated about her botanical progress.
