Watershed Texas

 As I am organizing for the upcoming Wetland Plant ID class, it strikes me that I have actually lost count of how many years we (“we” being Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service) have hosted this class.  This will be either the 10th or 11th class we have held to teach some of the basic plant family groups we utilize in our wetland restoration efforts.  It has always been a lab-oriented class with hands-on specimens that students can touch, examine and rip to shreds (per the instructor’s guidance).  In the last couple of years, we added a class to review botanical terminology which has been taught by our own Charriss York. Now students are less confused when Andy talks about the pedicels on the Sagittaria flowers and verifying if they are recurved or not to determine the difference between species.

Could you identify WHICH two species of Sagittaria (Arrowhead) are pictured here? You could after taking this class.

For Wetland Restoration Team members, the class comes as a welcome relief from the heat of the summer.  The class is a chance to sit indoors, use our heads and refresh our memories about the plants we handle regularly.  I always encourage folks to retake the class a couple of times–that way the information gets really “implanted”. 

If you are interested in taking the class, please contact Marissa at m-sipocz@tamu.edu.  Class size is always limited, and spots get claimed quickly.  Register early!!!