Field Botany
Biological Sci: 4499/5599 – 3 credits of upper-division botany.
CRN: 31426
May 15-26, 2023
Idaho State University Campus, Pocatello, Idaho
Idaho State University/Idaho Museum of Natural History is offering a 2-week, 3-credit field botany class for summer, 2023. The two week course will be based at the Idaho State University campus in Pocatello, and entail a mix of classroom time and field trips. The course focus is acquiring field plant identification skills and the collection and preparation of botanical specimens. The course will be valuable for individuals interested in botany, ecology, conservation, education, or related careers.
Course instructors are Michael Mancuso (mmancuso912@gmail.com) and Ashelee Rasmussen (asheleerasmussen@isu.edu)
Join us for exploring and learning the Idaho flora!
The course is open to students from ISU and elsewhere and to non-degree seeking individuals and professionals. Enrollment limited. Preference will be given to students who register by April 30, 2023. Students should expect to spend at least half of their time on field trips to a variety of locations and habitats. Students should be prepared for outdoor physical activity, including hiking and being in rocky terrain.
Course Goals:
Through a combination of class time lectures, plant identification/keying sessions, and time in the field visiting different habitats and collecting plant specimens you will:
- Learn to sight-recognize plant families important in the Idaho/Pacific Northwest/Intermountain West regions.
- Learn to identify unknown plants using keys, regional floras, and other resources.
- Learn how to make plant collections for scientific use.
- Be introduced to field techniques to measure selected vegetation attributes.
The Field Botany will satisfy 3 upper division botany credits for the following Biological Sciences majors:
- Biology B.S. with Integrative Organismal Biology
- Biology B.S. with Ecology and Conservation Biology Concentration
- Biology B.A. with Natural History Concentration
- Biology B.A. with Biology Education Concentration
What You Will Need:
Required Book:
- Students will provide their own copy of Flora of the Pacific Northwest 2nd edition, by C.L. Hitchcock and A. Cronquist (University of Washington Press). However, 1st edition copies of Flora of the Pacific Northwest will be provided if the student does not want to purchase their own book.
Recommended Book:
- Plant Identification Terminology, An Illustrated Glossary by J.G. Harris and M. Woolf Harris (Spring Lake Publishing) is highly recommended.
Other Supplies:
- 10x hand lens
- Plant collecting tool (optional)
- field notebook (rite-in-rain notebooks work great and can be purchased at the Idaho Museum of Natural History store) for the class.
Supplies Provided:
- Plant presses
- Plant dissection tools
How to enroll:
Enrollment is limited. Priority preference will be given to students who apply by April 30, 2023. Later applications will be considered until spots are filled.
- Recommended prerequisites: BIOL 1102 (Biology II), BIOL 2213 (Fall Flora), or BIOL 2214 (Spring Flora).
- For non-degree seeking individuals, some prior introduction to plant biology OR a strong interest in learning about the Idaho flora would be needed.
- The class is 3 credits of upper division botany course.
Scholarships are available. For more information contact Samantha Hutchinson (samanthahutchinson@isu.edu), Administrative Assistant for the Department of Biological Sciences.
Once registered, you will receive periodic emails as new information related to the class becomes available. Please email the instructors if you have any questions regarding this course.
Register at: Registration Page, Class Schedule > Biological Sci > Course Number = 4449 > Course Name = Field Botany, 31426
About the instructors:
Michael Mancuso is a freelance botanist based out of Boise with 30 years of field experience working with the Idaho flora. Most of his projects support rare plant species and plant community conservation efforts in Idaho and adjacent states. He has taught Systematic Botany Lecture and Lab (Botany 305) at Boise State University. Before 2006, he was a staff biologist/botanist, botany program leader for the Idaho Conservation Data Center within the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Mike received his B.S. in Microbiology at Colorado State University. He received his Master of Natural Science with a concentration in botany at the University of Idaho.
Ashelee Rasmussen is a botanist that has worked as a botany field technician for the US Forest Service in Idaho and Nevada and with research projects at Idaho State University. She teaches the Fall and Spring Flora courses at ISU. Her recent research explores how illustration can facilitate science education and research where she designs and enacts methods for using drawing as a learning tool for biology education. She holds workshops on learning through drawing for educators and researchers. Rasmussen worked at the Ray J. Davis Herbarium and the Idaho Museum of Natural History where she cared for herbarium and other life science collections and designed and taught informal education experience for life sciences. She has an M.S. in biology and a B.S. in ecology. She recently received a D.A. in Biology from Idaho State University.