Course Summary
This module is designed to provide training in the basic techniques for identification of common Irish wild flowering plants. Course participants are required to build a portfolio of at least 100 plant species by collecting and preserving specimens in a herbarium as well as keeping photographic records of the plants in their natural habitat (at the time of collection). Each specimen catalogued is to be labelled with its common and scientific name and the family to which it belongs with the aid of text books and botanical keys.
Workshops will be provided to identify plant morphological features, to demonstrate the use of identification keys and to assist in the identification of specimens. Guidance will also be provided on field work and plant collecting to ensure compliance with plant protection legislation and health and safety considerations.
The course is open to all persons interested in learning how to identify common Irish wild flowering plants and to learn their common and scientific names.
Course participants will be taught how to collect plants, preserve them as dried specimens in a herbarium and given guidance on making photographic records of specimens in the field. They will be taught how to catalogue their material into files, and upload species and common names according to plant family in alphabetical order in Excel speadsheets. By undertaking these tasks the course participants will learn the names of the plants, the families to which they belong, their natural habitats, and the life cycle and morphological changes (foliage and flowers) occurring over the growing season.
Workshops will be used to demonstrate preservation techniques and cataloguing as herbarium specimens, assist participants in identifying the names of plants, demonstrate the morphological features of plants, the use of plant identification keys and accessing data bases.
Key Course Information
Application Closing Date : 15th January 2025
Entry Requirements
Career Opportunities
This certificate will provide opportunities for many people to extend their academic credentials and employment prospects. This course will be useful to amateurs interested in nature and field studies, gardeners, botanists, ecologists, school teachers, retirees, and persons interested in biodiversity, environmental protection, environmental awareness, environmental impact assessment, high nature value farming, and environmental management.
Did you know?
That walk in the country will never be the same again!
Did you know:-
- we have a number of species of insect eating plants living wild in Ireland
- Ireland is unique in having arctic and mediterranean plants living side by side
- aspirin got its name from Spiraea, an old name for the plant meadow sweet
- many of our common plants are not native but introduced for medicinal and culinary purposes
- many of our native plants are poisonous
Programme Fees
Academic Year 2024/25 Fees
Total Programme Fee: €500
To help make the payment of fees more manageable for students who are self-funding their studies, tuition fees can be paid through payment instalment plans at ATU Sligo. For further information on instalment plans, please visit our Fees and Funding webpage.
If you apply and are approved for an online course at ATU Sligo, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of €250 to secure your place. Your deposit will then be credited against the course fees once you are registered as a student. Students at ATU Sligo are also eligible to claim tax relief at the standard rate for tuition fees.
For further information and guidance about Fees and Funding for online and part-time courses at ATU Sligo, click here.
If you are seeking to take your exams online, and you meet the eligibility criteria (overseas students and those with extenuating circumstances), an additional examinations fee will apply. For further information, please visit our Examinations webpage.