Weekend Plant Identification Workshop

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:

Saturday, October 2 from 10 AM – 4 PM:

• Introduction & Breaking Through the “Wall of Green”
• “What’s in a leaf?” – Leaf Identification Principles
• The two most important details of leaf ID
• Exercise: characterizing common native Alabama trees with two details
• Additional Leaf Identification Characteristics
• Tree Identification Walk

Sunday, October 3 from 10 AM – 4 PM:

• “That Which We Call A Rose” – Flower Physiology & Identification
• Identifying Major Plant Families
• Flower Identification Exercise
• Bark & Buds – Principles of Winter Tree ID
• Plant Identification Walk
• Final Q & A

This course is eligible for TN Naturalist Program and North Alabama Master Gardener Program credit.

INSTRUCTOR – Jesse Akozbek

Jesse’s plant journey started from his first bite of bread he made from acorns he foraged in his backyard. From that moment on, he wanted to know the rest of the edible plants in the wild! Initially, he thought that he just wanted to learn the edible plants around him, but what he didn’t realize at the time was that he really wanted to discover all the plants around him. Since then, he has been meticulously adding more plants to his identification repertoire. As an engineer, only knowing a plant’s name isn’t sufficient, so he spends a lot of time exploring and learning the patterns that connect plants and the details that distinguish them. Jesse teaches plant identification as a systematic process with an emphasis on fundamental skills and tools over rote memorization. His students walk away with practical skills that they can apply no matter where they find themselves in nature!