Develop your skills and expand your knowledge! Running from 10 am to 4 pm, these Wildlife Workshops are carefully designed to give an in-depth look at a particular topic, and are both educational and fun. The maximum group size is 8 plus the leader; children aged 12 and over are welcome if accompanied by an adult. The cost is £35 per person per day (lunch is are not included, but when indoors we provide tea / coffee). Most of the workshops are based at Natural Surroundings, a Wildlife Garden and Reserve located in the beautiful grounds of Bayfield Hall, near Holt in North Norfolk. At Natural Surroundings there is an excellent variety of natural habitats to explore along the River Glaven, as well as the wildlife gardens, and the Little Café in the Woods serves a variety of snacks and light lunches (for more details visit naturalsurroundings.org.uk). The venues, dates and times for 2011 are given below. We can also organised customised events to suit your particular needs. For further information on our Workshops, see the Wildlife Workshops information page. |
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2012 DATES COMING SOON - BELOW ARE THE 2011 EVENTS AS A 'TASTER' |
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Discovering and Identifying Wild Flowers Everyone loves wild flowers, but many people struggle to put a name to them. Simon Harrap is working on a new, user-friendly and practical field guide to British wild flowers and will lead you through the practicalities of flower identification. Part of the day will be spent looking at the structure of flowers and at how best to use field guides and handbooks (with an introduction to the use of keys), and part will be spent out in the field applying the techniques learnt to real-life identifications (and looking at some fantastic flowers too). |
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Get to grips with these five families and you are well on your way to being able to identify the majority of British wild flowers. During the course of the workshop we will look at the cabbage family, the carrot family (umbellifers), the daisy family (the composites), the pea family and the campion family. After studying the characteristic structure of the flowers in each family and the features that are important for identification, we will look at a great selection of living plants. Simon Harrap is currently working on a photographic field guide to the flowers of Britain and Ireland. |
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All About Wild Orchids Orchids have an aura of rarity and glamour, but the realities of their ecology and reproduction are even more amazing than you might imagine. During the course of the day we will explore the mysteries of orchid biology and take a good look at a variety of wild orchids in their natural habitats. Simon Harrap is joint author of the best-selling Orchids of Britain and Ireland: A Field and Site Guide. |
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Wild Flowers of High Summer After the frantic rush of spring, nature takes on a more leisurely pace through the summer and a wide range of wild flowers can be found in bloom at any one time, from scabiouses and knapweeds to a variety of arable weeds. We will hope to find a good number of different species, and will spend time on the finer points of identification as well as enjoying the beauty of the living plants. Simon Harrap is currently working on a photographic field guide to the flowers of Britain and Ireland. |
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Digital Flower Photography Plant photography must be easy - they don't move". How many times have we heard this comment, even from those who should know better! Good plant photography demands technical skill, patience and, above all, an eye for a picture. Join Simon Harrap for an in-depth look at the subject. The day will start with a review of various techniques before we move outside to take some photographs. We will finish by examining the resultant photographs on the computer to see what they can tell us. Suitable for every level of expertise, but you will need a camera. Simon Harrap took almost all of the photographs in Orchids of Britain and Ireland: A Field and Site Guide, described by one reviewer as 'simply the best-illustrated wildflower book since Flora Britannica.' |
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An Introduction to the Flowers of the Norfolk Coast: The short, windswept vegetation along the strand-line and cliff tops plays host to a wide variety of fascinating plants, all able to do well in this harsh environment. Tiny pearlworts and sandworts, delicate sea spurreys, Sea-milkwort and a variety of clovers, including the delightfully-named Subterranean Clover, will compete for our attention with more glamorous plants, such as Sand Catchfly and Purple Broomrape. Join Simon Harrap, author of Flowers of the Norfolk Coast, for a day in the field looking at various aspects of coastal vegetation. We will admire its beauty, learn something of its ecology, and look at its identification. |
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An Introduction to the Flowers of the Saltmarsh Coast Wednesday 13 July Tutor: Simon Harrap; Venue: the Brancaster area In mid summer the salt-marshes of the North Norfolk coast are ablaze with the purple and lilac blooms of sea-lavenders, and we should see three species, including Matted Sea-lavender, now confined to Norfolk. There are loads of other salt-marsh plants to look for, including Sea-heath, Sea-holly, Sea Aster, 'samphire' (the local name for the various species of glasswort) and a variety of grasses, sedges and rushes. Join Simon Harrap, author of the Flowers of the Norfolk Coast, for a day in the field looking at various aspects of coastal vegetation. We will admire its beauty, learn something of its ecology, and look at its identification. |