NATH7135E, 3 CEUs 
Class night and time: Mondays, 6-8 pm   
Class meetings: March 20-May 22 (no class April 3)
Field trip dates: Saturday, April 1 (10-12 pm): Woodend Sanctuary; Saturday, April 15 (9-12 pm): Carderock; Sunday, May 7 (9-1 pm): Thompson Wildlife Management Area
Location: Online via zoom
Online lectures + 3 field trips: members $350, nonmembers $400   
Instructor: Clare Walker
Follow the changing of the season this spring as we look closely at wildflowers blooming in the Mid-Atlantic each week. The class will include field identification during different life stages, plant family relationships and habitat preferences so you can get outside and hunt for flowers (record flower observations in an optional iNaturalist class project where we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of the app at identification). Classes will include the chance to work in groups to identify flowers. Explore the relationships between the plants and their pollinators and seed dispersers to gain an understanding of each flower’s role in the ecosystem. Spring wildflowers deserve our admiration for their incredible adaptations to overcome seasonal vagaries from low temperatures to short growing seasons. The field trips feature two of the area’s best wildflower locations as well as a session to learn the use of guides and apps for identification. Registration closes March 15. REGISTER.

Required Books and Materials (available at the Woodend Nature Shop):
Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide – April 13, 1989 Lawrence Newcomb (feel free to buy an older used copy as the book has been reprinted but not updated)
FREE apps Maryland Wildflowers and Virginia Wildflowers
Hand lens
Suggested books and materials
Interesting Background: Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History Flexibound – April 28, 2020 by Carol Gracie (Author)