Summer Flora 2014

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SoapstoneMountain.jpeg

EEB 4272

Summer Session I
June 2nd to July 2nd
M/W/F 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
TLS 179

Instructor

Nora Mitchell (nora.mitchell@uconn.edu)
Contact me for a permission number

Course description

New England is home to a diverse and thriving selection of plants, many of which reach their peak exuberance during the summer. Proper identification of plants and an understanding of their interactions with the environment are important facets that aid in the appreciation of our natural resources. In this course, students will:

  • Learn to recognize by sight some of the more common plant species
  • Develop a skill set for identifying unknown plant species
  • Gain experience in plant census, collection and curation techniques
  • Learn the system of classifying plant diversity and of naming plant species
  • Learn about the diversity of plant habitats in New England
  • Learn about invasive species and conservation issues in plant biology

The course focuses primarily on plant identification and classification, but students also will acquire skills that would serve them in any number of careers dealing with natural resource management.

Required equipment (all available from UConn Co-op)

  • 30x hand lens (provided for you!)
  • field notebook
  • pencils

Course Texts

  • Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by L. Newcomb, 1989.
  • Trees of Eastern and Central United States and Canada by W.M. Harlow, 1957.
  • Fern Finder by A. C. Hallowell and B. G. Hallowell, 1981.

Grading

  • Quizzes & Assignment 20%:
  • Mid-term exam 30%
  • Final exam 30%
  • Plant collection/preservation project 20%


Tentative schedule: subject to weather!

Day Lecture Field Notes
Week 1
Mon June 2 Introduction, Nomenclature, Vegetative Characters Campus walk
Wed June 4 Vegetative Characters Cont. Moss Preserve/Tift Pond, Mansfield
Fri June 6 QUIZ 1, Floral Characters & Pollination Valley Falls Park, Vernon
Week 2
Mon June 9 UCONN Herbarium Hillside Environmental Education Park, Storrs
Wed June 11 Fruits & Seed Dispersal Soapstone Mountain, Somers
Fri June 13 QUIZ 2, Ferns Webster Fern Garden Tour
Week 3
Mon June 16 MIDTERM EXAM Horsebarn Hill, Storrs (quick lab!)
Wed June 18 Vegetation Surveys Fenton River, Storrs
Fri June 20 QUIZ 3, Mounting Specimens Mansfield Hollow, Mansfield
Week 4
Mon June 23 Bog Plants Willington Bog, Willington
Wed June 25 Aquatic Habitats Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union
Fri June 27 QUIZ 4, Saltwater Habitats Eagleville Lake
Week 5
Mon June 30 Hammonassett State Park, Madison Meet 1pm in Lab, or 2pm at Meigs Nature Center
Wed July 2 FINAL EXAM Specimen mounting & Collections Due Lab open at 3pm to finish mounting!


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