This holistic field course will take students out into a variety of Michigan natural communities and highlight key native herbaceous plants in each unique environment. You will learn not only to identify important indicator species but also to practice a field-based ecological literacy and understanding of these plant communities. Herbaceous plant ID is an extremely useful skill, whether you’re interested in habitat restoration, landscape design, analyzing ecosystem health, or just simply getting to know your plant neighbors who also call this place home. As the semester progresses and winter approaches, lab sessions will shift indoors, and students will work with herbarium specimens to learn the intricate process of “keying out” plants based on biological features.