I'm thinking maybe grasses might be a good thing to try this time of year. I know, you may think them dull. But they're not, they're very varied. And as with everything, so much better when scrutinised under a lens.
And perhaps even the Asteraceae, I've seen a few recently.
I'm going to see if I can collect a few tomorrow to test feasibility. Watch this space.
Tuesday 31 May 2016
Friday 13 May 2016
Some tips for your field diary
You might think 'oh, the field notebook is only worth 15% of the mark'. But that would be a mistake. The field notebook underpins everything. It's the place where you record details of where and when you went out collecting and what the habitat was like there (essential information for your labels). 'It's also a place to show the thought processes behind your identifications (important in convincing someone you have your 'what' correct - so it has some impact on other parts of the marking).
Whoever's marking your work will want to see and believe that you took your notebook with you. So imperfect handwriting is fine. They definitely don't want to see everything typed up. They're not even after complete sentences. It's got to be legible and coherent of course! But they're not expecting anything especially neat. Don't worry if you drop it in the mud. In fact, go on and drop it in the mud, it'll give it an air of authenticity.
So, what sort of notebook might it be? Obviously that's up to you. But I'll tell you what I like to use, to give you some ideas:
This is my notebook from a course I took about grasses and sedges. It's got a sturdyish cover to withstand abuse from rain, mud and being shoved in my bag. It's ring-bound, which I like, because I can fold it back to make it easier to write in and there's always space to stick in photos and extra bits of paper.
It's A5 which allows room for notes and drawings (I find A6 a bit small but you might like it). You're traditionally supposed to use a pencil in a field notebook - it keeps writing in the rain, and it writes at whatever funny angle you've got it. I hear you can buy notebooks of waterproof paper but frankly I think you're better off staying indoors if it's going to rain that hard.
And it's blank, which I prefer because you can make little sketches and maps, and write wherever you like in whatever direction you like (without being dictated to by the control freaks that make paper with lines).
Here's a page that might have been done in the field (below). You can probably do better than this by the way.
You can see I've put down:
- the date.
- the name of the place.
- the type of habitat it is.
- the reason I've gone there.
- I've taken a photo of the plant in situ (which would be printed out and stuck in later). A sketch is just as good if not better as you can accentuate / annotate what you think's important. If you're collecting twigs, it's quite good to record the general outline of the tree, as this will help with identification.
- I've written down the grid reference and added a map.
- I've noted what the habitat was like at the spot where I found the plant, and given it a six-figure grid reference. With some groups it might be appropriate to note the substrate (eg ash bark or rock), or how shaded or damp it is, etc.
- I've given the specimen a temporary name ('specimen 1') - and I would attach a little label to the specimen somehow. There's nothing like getting home with a big bag of specimens and not knowing where on earth any of them came from.
- I've drawn a few rough sketches of what I thought the important features were 'in life' - the way it grew in a big clump and the distinctive way the flowers hung. These aren't things you'll necessarily remember when you get home, so you should try to do these in the field. It's also important to remember an indication of scale (something I forgot in the example above).
Such sketches were highly approved of in last year's notebooks and will get you extra marks. It can be particularly important if you're collecting invertebrates, because their behaviour won't be evident when they're dead and stuck on a pin. If you're collecting a spider, a photo of its web (if it has one) is useful to support its identification. If it's lichens, you should note what species of tree it's on, or perhaps that it's on earth or stone.
You might be able to key your specimen out while you're still in the field (although that's going to be pretty impossible with some groups like beetles). But it's often hard enough to juggle the specimen, a pencil, a notebook, an id guide, a bottle of juice, a bag, an anorak you wish you'd left behind, a snack, and a load of pots or envelopes or labels. So you may want to attend to some or all of the detailed identification at home. But as this is a 'field notebook' it's important that not all your notes are made at home.
And your notebook is also a very important place to document the thought processes behind your identifications. But I'll cover more of that on the pages that relate to your specific group of choice.
I've written some more recent thoughts here.
Also you might like to look at these pages that show previous students' books.
Whoever's marking your work will want to see and believe that you took your notebook with you. So imperfect handwriting is fine. They definitely don't want to see everything typed up. They're not even after complete sentences. It's got to be legible and coherent of course! But they're not expecting anything especially neat. Don't worry if you drop it in the mud. In fact, go on and drop it in the mud, it'll give it an air of authenticity.
So, what sort of notebook might it be? Obviously that's up to you. But I'll tell you what I like to use, to give you some ideas:
This is my notebook from a course I took about grasses and sedges. It's got a sturdyish cover to withstand abuse from rain, mud and being shoved in my bag. It's ring-bound, which I like, because I can fold it back to make it easier to write in and there's always space to stick in photos and extra bits of paper.
It's A5 which allows room for notes and drawings (I find A6 a bit small but you might like it). You're traditionally supposed to use a pencil in a field notebook - it keeps writing in the rain, and it writes at whatever funny angle you've got it. I hear you can buy notebooks of waterproof paper but frankly I think you're better off staying indoors if it's going to rain that hard.
And it's blank, which I prefer because you can make little sketches and maps, and write wherever you like in whatever direction you like (without being dictated to by the control freaks that make paper with lines).
Here's a page that might have been done in the field (below). You can probably do better than this by the way.
You can see I've put down:
- the date.
- the name of the place.
- the type of habitat it is.
- the reason I've gone there.
- I've taken a photo of the plant in situ (which would be printed out and stuck in later). A sketch is just as good if not better as you can accentuate / annotate what you think's important. If you're collecting twigs, it's quite good to record the general outline of the tree, as this will help with identification.
- I've written down the grid reference and added a map.
- I've noted what the habitat was like at the spot where I found the plant, and given it a six-figure grid reference. With some groups it might be appropriate to note the substrate (eg ash bark or rock), or how shaded or damp it is, etc.
- I've given the specimen a temporary name ('specimen 1') - and I would attach a little label to the specimen somehow. There's nothing like getting home with a big bag of specimens and not knowing where on earth any of them came from.
- I've drawn a few rough sketches of what I thought the important features were 'in life' - the way it grew in a big clump and the distinctive way the flowers hung. These aren't things you'll necessarily remember when you get home, so you should try to do these in the field. It's also important to remember an indication of scale (something I forgot in the example above).
Such sketches were highly approved of in last year's notebooks and will get you extra marks. It can be particularly important if you're collecting invertebrates, because their behaviour won't be evident when they're dead and stuck on a pin. If you're collecting a spider, a photo of its web (if it has one) is useful to support its identification. If it's lichens, you should note what species of tree it's on, or perhaps that it's on earth or stone.
You might be able to key your specimen out while you're still in the field (although that's going to be pretty impossible with some groups like beetles). But it's often hard enough to juggle the specimen, a pencil, a notebook, an id guide, a bottle of juice, a bag, an anorak you wish you'd left behind, a snack, and a load of pots or envelopes or labels. So you may want to attend to some or all of the detailed identification at home. But as this is a 'field notebook' it's important that not all your notes are made at home.
And your notebook is also a very important place to document the thought processes behind your identifications. But I'll cover more of that on the pages that relate to your specific group of choice.
I've written some more recent thoughts here.
Also you might like to look at these pages that show previous students' books.
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