Fern ID course with Josh Styles

Do you know what the fern is, featured
on the opening slide of Josh's fern ID course?
If not, consider signing up for the course!

Botanist and ecological consultant Joshua Styles is well-known to readers of this News & Views blog. Back when he was an undergrad at Edge Hill University, studying under Prof Paul Ashton, he exhibited at BSBI's Exhibition Meeting in 2016 and benefited from a BSBI Plant Study Grant. 

Since then Josh has published in BSBI News (twice!), taken part in Botanical University Challenge (twice!), and written about how he set up the North-West Rare Plants Initiative. He has also managed to notch up a FISC level 6 - there aren't many level 6 botanists in Britain and none as young as Josh (he's still in his 20s!). 

Now he's turned his hand to training, starting last month with a free online ID course to dandelion sections. His latest venture is a fern ID course, this time with a small fee involved (£7 per person).

Cystopteris fragilis
Image: J. Crellin

Josh said "“Ferns are such prehistoric organisms. They came about in the mid-Devonian around 390 million years ago and they’re still around today. As well as being amongst some of the earliest vascular plants, many extant species in Britain also have associated conservation interest today. If you’d like to learn more about this fascinating group, and how to get to grips with identifying some of the 50+ species that grow across GB and Ireland, sign up to my Fern Identification course running this Saturday at 11a.m.!”

Josh tells me that the course is almost full but there is a waiting list so why not register now and he'll let you know if you have secured a place or if you're on the waiting list?