A short talk, followed by a gentle walk to discover spring flowers.

Ponds are very much a characteristic feature of our Suffolk landscape, providing a valuable habitat for a wealth of wetland wildlife including amphibians, water voles, dragonflies and water plants. This workshop will discuss how to assess the wildlife value of your pond for different species, practise hands-on pond dipping and the significance of finds in some of the host farm’s six ponds, and discuss how ponds’ conservation value can be improved through appropriate management.

Aimed at private nature reserve owners / landowners / farmers.

May is a good time to see a wide variety of birds on the Fen and also listen to their songs.  Aimed at beginners and less experienced birders, the course will help you identify birds by song and by sight.

A gentle introduction to these interesting families, aimed at those who have some knowledge or appreciation of wild flowers but have found tackling grasses and sedges too daunting.  Come and explore another aspect of the Fen’s amazing biodiversity.

This course aims to provide an introduction to the importance of Suffolk churchyards for wildlife and the ways in which they can be managed so that they are attractive for parishioners and wildlife alike.  Following an indoor presentation, we will visit the nearby churchyard where examples of management will be seen and discussed on site. 

We will look at a selection of stonewort species in the wild and bring them back to the lab to look at them more closely, familiarise ourselves with their anatomical features and attempt to identify them using the available guidance.  The course is aimed at those involved with botanical surveying and site management on sites with important freshwater systems; it is suitable for those with an interest in tackling this strange and critically important group from both the professional and voluntary perspectives.

Discover the diversity of plants on this reserve and learn how to identify them.  There will also be a gentle introduction to survey techniques for beginners and the less experienced.

A short talk, followed by a gentle walk to discover summer flowers.

Lackford Lakes

Learn more about the wonderful wild flowers at Carlton Marsh, as well as increasing your skills in identifying them?  Visit several habitats on Carlton Marshes, looking at the wild flowers and learning some of the common families, the plant features, their similarities and differences.  An informal and enjoyable course for beginners and the less experienced.

A specialist workshop on the ecology and identification of butterflies, including recording and survey techniques.

It’s not until late summer when the bush crickets are psst-psst’ing and chirping that one really comes across these jumping adults in rough grassland and hedgerow edge.  In Suffolk we have a dozen or so frequently occurring species and with a bit of practise, it is quite possible for beginners to find and identify them.  It is surprising therefore how few people actually send in records for this wildlife group.

This workshop will go through the basics of how to distinguish between bush crickets and grasshoppers, how to identify our commonly occurring Suffolk species, and spend some time discussing their life cycle and habitat requirements – and how you can manage grassland for them and other invertebrates that are often overshadowed by the more colourful plants and butterflies.