Instructor: Nishi Rajakaruna
email: nrajakaruna@coa.edu
homepage: http://www.coa.edu/nrajakaruna/

This course will introduce you to the taxonomy and ecology of seed plants of Mount Desert Island. Lectures will cover basics of botany, plant taxonomy and forest ecology focusing on the flora of the region. Laboratory and field sessions will involve the identification of plants and an introduction to the common plants and their habitats on the island. The course is designed to teach botany and plant taxonomy for students interested in natural history/ecology, forestry and conservation, and landscape design. We will spend everyday exploring trails on Acadia National Park including summits of Cadillac, Acadia and Beech Mountains, coastal plants along Wonderland and Sea Wall, bog plants of Big and Sunken Heath, botanical gardens, and many trails with mixed deciduous forests. In addition to approximately 10 field trips exploring the flora of diverse habitats of Acadia National Park we will also visit two heavy metal-rich habitats in Brooksville and on Deer Isle to examine the role extreme geologies play on the biology and ecology of plants.

Tentative Schedule

Day 1 - Lecture (introduction to plants of Mount Desert Island); Field Trip (campus walk); Lab (introduction to laboratory methods)

Day 2 - Lecture (introductory botany); Field Trip (walk along Duck Brook)

Day 3 - Lecture (Leaves, Stems); Field Trip (walk along Eagle Lake)

Day 4 - Lecture (flowers and fruits); Field Trip (Beech Mountain)

Day 5 - Lab (looking at flowers; examining fruits; introduction to technical keys)

Day 6 - Field Trip - Cadillac Mountain; Lab (using technical keys)

Day 7 - Field Trip - Plants of New England bogs

Day 8 - Field Trip & Lecture - Forest Trees: taxonomy, ecology, & current threats

Day 9 - Field Trip - Edible Botany: plant-people relations

Day 10 - Plants of extreme habitats: Role of geology on plant life

Day 11&12 - Final presentations


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