Peat Workshop at Nethergill Farm

Arrived safely back in the UK after a long but thankfully uneventful trip: my flight even arrived early at Heathrow so I had a nice relaxed transfer to my plane back to Leeds.  It now seems ages since I was away on my adventures.

I didn't do as much studying as I should have whilst I was away, and have paid the price over the last few weeks: my head has been buried in books, procrastinating because this month is all about rocks and landforms which isn't my favorite part of the syllabus!  I've just submitted my 4th assignment out of 7 so a little pressure is off, but I am still behind with my notes which I will regret when the S216 exam starts to loom and I have nothing to revise from ... My goal is to finish all of my 'cycles' notes this weekend.

I'm feeling very commited to my OU studies, having just paid for another course. I am now enrolled onto Level 3 Ecosystems starting in November, and Level 2 Practical Environmental Science in February next year.  I have also signed up for the revision weekend for my current course, as it is over 10 years since I last did a written exam - I've got good marks in my coursework so far and don't want to let myself down at the last fence.

However, I am still trying to mix course work with more practical experiences. I spent another excellent weekend in the Yorkshire Dales on a Peat Workshop at Nethergill Farm, organised through the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Yorkshire Peat Partnership. The weather was again superb. There were a number of talks during the morning, each giving a different perspective on peat moorlands, including conservation methods and their importance to water quality and flood alleviation. In the afternoon, we had a practical session looking at gripes and erosion. We also carried out a vegetation survey, identifying several different species of sphagnum as well as other plants including tormentil.  The highlight for me though was seeing a sundew, Yorkshire's carniverous plant!  Another rare species to add to this year's list.

I also took the opportunity to collect some grass samples, as I have recently received my "Grass Species ID" course by distance learning. It doesn't look too hard so far - but I have only got to Unit 1!  I have already collected 20+ samples, many of which are different from one another. These are currently being diligently pressed and dried so that I can create voucher specimens for my assessment. I have yet to identify them ... I have already learned how to tell the difference between a grass and a sedge by the shape of the stalk, however I have had to order a dissection kit so that I can get to the next level of detail and start examining the minutia of seed heads and ligules.