The class will explore and identify the plants that grow in marsh, swamp, and wet meadow communities in Berkshire County. The class will begin with a powerpoint program presenting an overview of the Berkshires’ variety of wetlands and the plants that inhabit each one, followed by a full afternoon investigating wetland habitats and identifying plants in the field. Mid-summer is an ideal time for observing wetland flora!

Ted Elliman worked for many years for Native Plant Trust as a staff botanist, invasive species program manager, and as an instructor of botany, ecology, and conservation classes. His book, The Wildflowers of New England, an identification guide to much of the region's native flora, was published in 2016 by Timber Press. In the 1980's, Ted started and directed an environmental education and wilderness adventure center in the Berkshires. Since the mid-1990's, he has periodically led natural history tours to southwest China, where he worked for two years as a teacher and forest ecologist.