The Flora of Washington

Washington’s vascular plant diversity mirrors the ecological heterogeneity of the state, from the towering conifers of the Olympic peninsula to diminutive wildflowers and bunchgrasses of the high desert. This field-based course will focus on learning to identify Washington plants and understanding how their distribution and ecology reflecting the state’s varying environments.

We will emphasize characteristics for field identification and we will use both dichotomous keys and field guides. Learning to recognize plant families will be presented as a central framework for the class. Students will keep field journals that include plant sketches and written notes to document plant observations. We will take one-day (not overnight) field trips. Regional botanists will make guest appearances on field trips to help us understand the flora of Washington.