My journey to becoming a Field Botanist

As a child I used to explore Cavendish Park (inside yellow circle) - a 12 hectare site located in the City of London, Ontario, Canada:

I would hide there to play hooky (truant) from school.  Convenient because it was down the street from my late grandmother's house on Cavendish Crescent.  Ironically, it became my place of employment from 1995 to 2003.  In 1995 I began teaching plant identification (ID) at Cavendish Park to volunteers and people receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits from the government.  At the time there weren't many resources available.  I scoured universities, libraries and book stores searching for field guides, technical manuals and papers on plant ID.  

In 2001 I led a research expedition to Nepal in search of medicinal plants, but forgot to bring the field guides I had purchased from my extensive search for plant ID resources.  I was forced to find another method to teach the 9 volunteers I had recruited.  A PhD trained Botanist from a university in Nepal accompanied us along with a team of Sherpa guides, our host and cooks as we traversed the foothills of the Himalayans between Kathmandu and the southern Terai region, Nepal.  

My thorough study and memorization of the content of my field guides paid off as I began teaching based on visual cues and characteristics.  While in Nepal I developed a course designed to identify to family level according to flower color, leaf arrangement, shape and number of petals.  This is how my Level 1 terrestrial and wetland plant course was born.

Meanwhile, from1999 and 2003 I led hikes with my students, employees and volunteers to survey all flora and fauna of the Bruce Trail between Tobermory and Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada.  I published the results in a field guide book in 2005 and called it "A Hiker's Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve: Tobermory to Owen Sound":

By 2004 my plant courses gained popularity because I was helping people find jobs successfully in the environmental industry.  With encouragement from the government of Canada the EARTHQUEST Biological Field School came into fruition in June, 2005 when we opened our doors at Pinecroft, near Aylmer, Ontario, Canada:

For the next 5 years I taught out of a log cabin at Pinecroft.  We were free to explore the 22 ha property.  Thanks to the wonderful staff and owners at Pinecroft my field botany courses expanded into my Level 2 terrestrial and wetland plant course.

In the summer of 2008 - Rhonda Donley - a former student and co-author of the Ontario Management Plans for Special Concern Broad Beech Fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera) and Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium) obtained a job at Point Pelee National Park.  Subsequently, she invited my students and I to conduct Species at Risk (SAR) plant surveys on Middle Island, Lake Erie - one of the most southern points in Canada.  While conducting surveys on the island I got a call from a collegue and friend - Leigh Whyte to work on several wind farm projects in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada.  It was the launch of my career into environmental consulting and SAR plants.

My Level 3 SAR plants of Ontario plus Level 3 Asters and Goldenrods of Ontario emerged from my consulting work in Ontario to assist practioners with their work:

I have given a number of talks to local nature clubs and led hikes to demonstrate the concepts and principles of my plant field guide books.  Some of which have been mentioned in this blog:

Field Botanists of Ontario hike to Port Burwell Provincial Park 

Asters and Goldenrods of Ontario hike

Norfolk County Library and Chapters book store talk

Field Botanists of Ontario hike to Turkey Point

As I look back at the path I took to learn how to ID vascular plants to the family, genus and species level and later teach to those interested in upgrading their skills I am grateful to have met and worked with so many individuals along the way.  Many of whom have gone on to their own successful careers.  Some also feel in love with plants.