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During our busy lives, it’s important to remember that old adage: “Stop and smell the roses.” But how sure are you that it’s an actual rose that you’re smelling, and not something entirely different?
Our lives are closely intertwined with the world of plants, whether they are trees, bushes, grasses, vegetables, fruits, or flowers. We rely on them for the very oxygen we breathe, for the food that’s on our dinner plates, for the energy that powers our cars, for the medicine that helps soothe our ailments, and simply for the pure joy and beauty they give to our surroundings.
But the truth is, all too often, we take the importance of plants for granted. Many of us have lost a sense of deep connection with them. We are, in fact, blind to them. So how do we learn to see—and appreciate—the more than 300,000 types of plants around us? The answer lies in training your eyes to see the world like an expert botanist, and in learning how to speak the language of botany, or what award-winning Professor Catherine Kleier of California Polytechnic State University calls “botanese.”
Knowing how to identify plants in the field, as you come upon them, has an immense value that goes far beyond practical skill and knowledge. Naming plants can help you develop a better relationship with the outdoors. This improved connection makes your outdoor experiences richer and can also help you cultivate your own lawn or garden.
Identifying plants is also an experience anyone can have, no matter where they live. And the ability to identify plants doesn’t require a PhD. All you need is some basic knowledge, some practice, and the fascinating insights found in the 24 lessons of The Botanist’s Eye: Identifying the Plants around You. Dr. Kleier, who brings to this course a lifetime of teaching and researching botany, has designed it to help you notice plants, but to also help you to actually see them. You’ll explore over 20 of the most common plant families in North America, as well as some of the fascinating species within them (some of which you can likely find in your own backyard). Along the way, you’ll learn about the history of botanical science, tips and tricks botanists use to identify seemingly similar plants, and the myriad ways plants help define what it means to be human.
Why Learn the Names of Plants?
Before There Were Flowers
Plants Are Named like People
Organizing the Huge Diversity of Plants
The Language of Botany
What the Terms Monocot, Dicot, and Eudicot Tell You
Parts of Three: The Monocots
Monocots: Orchids, Asparagus, and Irises
Grassy Monocots: Grasses and Relatives
Early Eudicots: Buttercups and Poppies
Eudicots: Crassula, Euphorbs, and Willows
Eudicots: Peas and Beans
Rose Eudicots: Roses, Mulberries, and Elms
Eudicots: Squashes, Oaks, and Birches
Eudicots: Maples, Cashews, and Chocolate
Brassica Eudicots: The Mustards
Pink Eudicots: Pinks, Cacti, and Relatives
Heath and Dogwood Eudicots
Gentian Eudicots from Milkweed to Coffee
Tomato-Type Eudicots
Minty Eudicots with Liplike Flowers
Sunflower Eudicots: More than You Think
Parsley Eudicots: Plants with Umbels