Jepson Herbarium Public Programs

WEEKEND WORKSHOPS

Registration procedure: The registration procedure is explained here

Overview of the Major Changes Incorporated in Revision 13 of the Jepson eFlora
March 8, 2025
Bruce Baldwin, Nina House, Nancy Morin, Dave Keil, Matt Guilliams, and Tommy Stoughton
Virtual

Ever wonder why plant names change or why the Jepson eFlora is revised each year? Join Bruce Baldwin (Convening Editor of the Jepson Flora Project), Nina House (Managing Editor of the Jepson eFlora), and authors of newly revised treatments that have been included in Revision 13 of the Jepson eFlora to learn more about the recent changes and why they were made. Several authors will talk about the revision(s) they wrote, what the new treatment contains, and how the current treatment differs from the previous understanding of the group. Authors will also share photos and details of newly described species (if applicable) so that we can all be on the lookout for these special plants!

Updates will be provided for the following groups: Campanulaceae, Malvaceae, Montiaceae, Solanaceae, and more!

Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 a.m.  –  3:00 p.m.
Please note, this is a virtual workshop and will be held on Zoom.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

An Introduction to Botanical Illustration

March 15-16, 2025
Linda Ann Vorobik
UC Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building

Learn the basics for creating botanical illustrations through demonstrations and lectures. Participants will be introduced to drawing skills, parts of the plant, what botanical illustration is when defined precisely, and techniques used for creating accurate line drawings. The workshop is directed to two audiences: (1) botanists who want to improve their observational and artistic note-taking skills or to learn how to work with artists as contributors to their publications and, (2) beginning through advanced artists who wish to create scientific illustrations for publications or to simply enjoy observing the details and beauty of plants. 

During the afternoon of each day, basic botanical watercolor will be taught to those who wish to add some color to their drawings. The workshop format is such that each individual’s specific objectives can be addressed, whether they are to create an accurate scientific illustration or a beautiful watercolor painting.

This workshop is classroom-based and will involve working with fresh plant material. Some supplies must be purchased prior to the workshop. You can find that list here.

Start/End: Saturday 9:00 a.m. –  Sunday 5:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

Intermediate Bryology
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

March 22-23, 2025
Brent Mishler, Ixchel S. González Ramírez, John McLaughlin
UC Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building

This workshop will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about the biology and identification of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts–small but important plants in the ecosystem and in the history of life. 

We'll assume participants have a basic knowledge of the life-cycle, structure, biology, and characteristics of the major groups of bryophytes, such as you might have gotten from taking our Jepson Introduction to Bryophytes workshop or similar training in other workshops or self-study.  For a review, see recordings from the 2022 workshop here.

We’ll start from where we left off in the introductory workshop and work on how to key out an array of some of the more diverse groups down to fine taxonomic levels, including covering some more advanced biological & evolutionary topics. 

We will meet on the UC Berkeley campus all day Saturday and Sunday, in the Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB), mainly in a classroom for presentations and hands-on work using microscopic preparations to learn taxonomic characters. We'll also take a break on Sunday for a walk on campus to learn about these plants in the field.

Start/End: Saturday 9:00 a.m. - Sunday 5:00 p.m.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

Flora of the Dye Creek Preserve, Tehama County
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

April 10-13, 2025
Neal Kramer
Northern end of the Central Valley, Lassen foothills, between Redding and Chico

This workshop will explore the fascinating plants and volcanic landscapes of the Dye Creek Preserve where blue oaks abound and, each spring, beautiful wildflowers bloom. The nearly 38,000 acre property is managed by The Nature Conservancy and provides important habitat for black-tailed deer, bears, bobcats, migratory birds, fish, and other wildlife. It also serves as a site for research and demonstration of ecological management practices, including grazing and prescribed burning. 

During the workshop, we will visit riparian corridors, vernal pool grasslands, and blue oak woodlands, including areas that burned in the 2024 Park Fire. Participants will encounter rugged landscapes, harsh environmental conditions, rare plants, and some bumpy rides. Cell service is limited. Field conditions will range from hot days (up to 90 degrees F) to overnight temperatures around 40 degrees. Rain and strong winds are also possible.

Base camp will be in Preserve headquarters where we will have group dinner and evening presentations.

A working copy of the plant list for the Preserve is here:
https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/DyeCrkPreservePlantList2023.pdf

Accommodations: Participants can camp at the Preserve on the headquarters grounds, park a camper trailer in headquarters, or stay in nearby hotels (Red Bluff is 20 minutes away) or VRBO-type options in Los Molinos (15 minutes away).
Meals:Catered dinner will be provided for each night of the workshop. Omnivore and vegetarian options will be available. Other dietary restrictions will be difficult to accommodate. Each day, participants will need to provide their own breakfast and lunch (for the field). Refrigerator space will be available at the Preserve.
Transportation: Transportation is provided while on the Preserve. On one of the days, participants will be shuttled to the top of a volcanic ridge and this will be a bumpy ride so participants need to be able to withstand traversing the terrain in an all-terrain vehicle for 45-60 minutes.
Hiking: Difficult. Up to 8 miles on one of the days and over rocky, uneven terrain and undeveloped routes. Possibly hot and dry conditions with sun exposure; wind, rain, and cold temperatures are also possible. One day will be spent in vernal pools and other wet habitats, waterproof hiking boots are recommended.
Start/End: Thursday 5:00 p.m. - Sunday 12:00 p.m.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

The Curious & Charismatic Cacti of California

April 18-20, 2025
Michelle Cloud-Hughes
UCI Steele/Burnand Anza Borrego Desert Research Center

Cacti are a vitally important component of our California desert biomes, comprising approximately 38 species in 12 genera. In this field-based workshop, we will have the opportunity to see more than a third of California’s cactus species in and around the spectacular Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Friday afternoon and evening, attendees can explore the 80 acres of the Steele Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center before dinner. The provided dinner will be followed by a presentation introducing the cactus family and the major groups of cacti in California. Saturday we will spend all day in the field, beginning with a drive to the southern end of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and working our way back north, with stops along the way to get to know the cacti of the park in habitat. Sunday morning, we will depart the research center northward to Warner Springs, stopping briefly in the desert/chaparral transition zone before continuing to a hike in the desert chaparral to meet a few higher elevation cacti.

Accommodations: Accommodations at the research center are dorm-style, with six beds per room. Free camping and hotels are available nearby. Hotel reservations should be made as far in advance as possible, as this will be the peak tourist season in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Meals: A casual dinner Friday night is included in the course fee. Omnivore and vegetarian options will be available. A potluck will be organized for the second evening of the workshop. Participants are responsible for all other meals. Each day, participants should bring food and beverages for lunches and snacks in the field. At the reserve, there are kitchens and refrigerators; cooking space is limited.
Transportation: Not provided. Personal vehicle or caravaning required for field trips.
Hiking: All hikes will be less than 3 miles round-trip over moderate terrain. Trails may be rocky and sandy and conditions may range from hot, sunny, and windy to cold and windy. Rain is possible but not likely.
Start/End: Friday, 4:00 p.m. – Sunday, 12:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

50 Plant Families in the Field, Monterey Bay
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

April 24-27, 2025
Linda Beidleman
Hastings Natural History Reservation and Monterey Bay field sites

Are you ready to jump into botanical detective work? With a working knowledge of common plant families and comfort in using taxonomic keys, identification can be an enjoyable challenge. This workshop is an introductory workshop, geared towards beginning botanists, and will introduce participants to the flora of the Monterey area and the techniques used to identify plants of California. Emphasis will be on learning to recognize characteristics of the area’s plant families. A general familiarity with morphological terms is helpful but not necessary; these will be reviewed during the introductory session.

We will practice keying plants in the field using the third edition of the book Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region: Mendocino to Monterey by Linda H. Beidleman and Eugene N. Kozloff, 2014 (required). Please note that the majority of the workshop will be held outdoors and participants should be prepared to be outside in a wide variety of weather conditions.

Accommodations: Shared rooms with bunk beds located in different (rustic) houses on the property. Tent camping sites will also be available.
Meals: Catered meals from dinner on Thursday through lunch on Sunday are included.
Transportation: Personal vehicle (or a space in the caravan) required for field trips. Participants may drive up to 25 miles per day to the field sites.
Hiking: Moderate but participants must be able to walk up to 2 miles (at a pace of 30 min/mile) over uneven terrain with elevation gain up to 1,000 feet on single-track trails (and possibly cross-country). Participants should be able to tolerate variable weather conditions including rain, wind, sun, and temperatures up to 90 degrees during the day and close to freezing at night.
Start/End: Thursday 5:00 p.m. – Sunday 2:00 p.m.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

Introduction to California Botany

May 3-4, 2025
Eric Harris and Anna Larsen
UC Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building

Would you like to expand your botanical vocabulary and learn more about the diversity of California flowering plants? Join us for this workshop to explore the morphology of leaves, flowers, and fruits, and learn about important plants of California. Discussion will include important plant families, California food plants, and common weeds in the state. Workshop participants will become familiar with the characteristics and terminology frequently used in the The Jepson Manual and other plant identification guides. This workshop is designed to start at an introductory level and is appropriate for the beginning botanist, nature lover, or avid gardener. Working with fresh plant collections in the lab, we will discuss prominent characters consistent to family-level identification, looking both with the unaided eye and through the microscope.

Start/End: Saturday 9:00 a.m. – Sunday 5:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

The Flowers Formerly Known as Mimulus
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

May 15-18, 2025
Naomi Fraga and Steve Schoenig
Yosemite Field Station in Wawona

Monkeyflowers are one of the showiest, diverse, and widespread groups within California. In recent years, the group has undergone big taxonomic changes. California representatives of the genus Mimulus were split into three genera: Erythranthe, Diplacus, and Mimetanthe. Since those changes occurred, 13 species have been described as new to science. And, in papers leading up to the Flora of North America North of Mexico treatment for Phrymaceae, up to an additional 20 species of monkeyflowers have been recognized as occurring in California.

Team-taught for the third time, this class will explore all of these exciting developments in the context of learning the cohesive species groups (sections), which, once recognized, allow non-experts to master the otherwise difficult monkeyflower key. Classroom activities will include gorgeous slideshows to show both rare and common monkeyflowers from all over the state and keying fresh plant material as a group. Field trips (with moderate hiking) to beautiful natural flower gardens will allow appreciation of up to 20 species of monkeyflowers and many other Sierran endemic plants in their natural habitats. Instructors will be bringing many additional monkeyflower species from other parts of California for study in the classroom. Participants will receive a handout including modified keys, relevant literature, and other useful materials. 

Accommodations: Shared dorms, limited tent camping.
Meals: A casual dinner will be provided on the first night of the workshop, with a potluck for dinner on the second night. All other meals will be the responsibility of the participant.
Transportation: Not provided. Personal vehicle (or a space in the caravan) required for field trips.
Hiking: Moderate.
Start/End: Thursday 4:00 p.m. - Sunday 12:00 p.m.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

Lichens of Mendocino

May 16-18, 2025
Klara Scharnagl and Teresa Sholars
Mendocino Community College and local field sites

Lichens are cryptic yet charismatic symbiotic organisms that can be found growing on the surfaces of rocks, trees, and even on the ground! Lichens are particularly abundant and diverse in fog-fed coastal habitats such as in Mendocino, California.

In this three-day workshop, we will introduce you to “What is a lichen?”; “Characteristics used to identify lichens”; and “ Common Lichen Species in Mendocino.”

We will begin Friday afternoon with some introductory lectures in the classroom. On Saturday we will begin again in the classroom for a brief overview of lichens we will encounter in the field, and spend the rest of the workshop going on field trips to meet these lichens in their natural habitats. In the field, we will review characters for identification, and also discuss the ecology of these important yet frequently overlooked organisms. Our field trips will take us to different forest types in Mendocino, in addition to getting to know the unique lichen communities of the rocky intertidal.

Recommended Texts:
A Field Guide to Lichens of California by Stephen Sharnoff
Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest by Bruce McCune and Linda Geiser

Requirements: Text and hand lens
Accommodations: Not provided. Local hotels recommended. 
Meals: A pizza lunch will be provided on Friday. Coffee/tea and pastries will be provided on Saturday and Sunday morning at the college. Saturday evening we will have a potluck dinner at Teresa Sholars’ house. Participants are responsible for all other meals.
Transportation: Personal vehicle (or a space in the caravan) required for field trips.
Hiking: Moderate and possibly in cold, wet, and windy conditions. Some uneven terrain. 
Start/End: Friday 1:00 p.m. – Sunday 2:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

Basic Botany and an Introduction to California Plant Families

June 7-8, 2025
Nina House and Staci Markos
UC Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building

California is the most botanically rich state in the country. With so much incredible plant diversity, it’s hard to get bored - it’s also hard not to feel overwhelmed! This workshop, designed for the beginning botanist, will cover the basics of the tree of life, taxonomy, morphology, and the key characters to look for when identifying 20 prominent plant families in California. We will work with fresh material in the lab, noting morphological features and key features to help identify plant families. Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of why the California flora is so unique, a basic understanding of plant morphology, and techniques for identifying plants at the family level. Join us while we take a deep dive into what makes California such an incredible place to botanize! 

Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - Sunday, 5:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

Celebrating 75 years of the Jepson Herbarium!

June 25-27, 2025, group one
June 27-29, 2025, group two
Hikes led by: Tanya Baxter and Shane Hanofee
Sagehen Creek Field Station, Central Sierra Nevada, north of Truckee

Join us as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Jepson Herbarium! This special event will be a little different from a typical Jepson Workshop - it will be shorter, more informal, and will have more time for socializing. Come botanize, share stories, drink mocktails, and help us chart the course for the next 75 years!

During this event, we will have two evening presentations and three wildflower hikes in the beautiful Sierra Nevada.

We’ll be hosting two consecutive events and hope you can join one of them:
June 25, Group 1, Arrive at Sagehen in time for dinner 
June 26, Group 1, A day of botanizing - one or two locations
June 27, Group 1, Morning hike, participants leave after lunch

June 27, Group 2, Arrive at Sagehen in time for dinner 
June 28, Group 2, A day of botanizing - one or two locations
June 29, Group 2, Morning hike, participants leave after lunch

Accommodations: Sleeping in dormitory-like rooms (4-6 people) with shared bathrooms in a separate building. Camping on the property is allowed. Campers (truck beds or vans) can be accommodated but trailers are not permitted. Lodging is also available in Truckee, just a 20 minute drive down the road.
Meals: Meals will be provided but not by a caterer so options will be limited (dietary preferences or needs other than vegetarian will be difficult to accommodate). Bringing personal snacks and beverages is encouraged.
Transportation: Personal vehicle (or a spot in the caravan) required for field trips. Most roads will be passable by standard sedans but the 1.8 mile entrance road to Sagehen is unpaved and low-clearance vehicles may encounter some challenging spots (so should be avoided if possible). 
Hiking: Moderate but over uneven terrain with loose soil and rocks. Maximum of 4 miles per hike and may encounter hot and dry conditions. Rain is possible but not likely. 
Group One Start/End: Wednesday dinner - Friday lunch
Group Two Start/End: Friday dinner - Sunday lunch

Google form for Group One June 25-27, 2025

Google form for Group Two June 27-29, 2025

Celebrating 75 years of the Jepson Herbarium!

July 7-9, 2025, group one
July 9-11, 2025, group two
Hikes led by: J. Travis Columbus, Joy England, Ann Howald, and Matthew Yamamoto
Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL), between Bishop and Mammoth

Join us as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Jepson Herbarium! This special event will be a little different from a typical Jepson Workshop - it will be shorter, more informal, and will have more time for socializing. Come botanize, share stories, drink mocktails,  and help us chart the course for the next 75 years!

During this event, we will have two evening presentations and three wildflower hikes in the beautiful eastern Sierra Nevada.

We’ll be hosting two consecutive events and hope you can join one of them:
July 7, Group 1, Arrive at SNARL in time for dinner
July 8, Group 1, Rock Creek (morning) and McGee Creek (afternoon)
July 9, Group 1, Valentine Reserve (morning), participants depart after lunch

July 9, Group 2, Arrive at SNARL in time for dinner
July 10, Group 2, Rock Creek (morning) and McGee Creek (afternoon)
July 11, Group 2, Valentine Reserve (morning), participants depart after lunch

Accommodations: Sleeping in dormitory-like rooms (4-6 people) with shared bathrooms. Camping on the property is also allowed. Trailers and large campers cannot be accommodated. Lodging is also available in Mammoth Lakes, just a 13 minute drive up the road. 
Meals: Meals will be provided but not by a caterer so options will be limited (dietary preferences or needs other than vegetarian will be difficult to accommodate). Bringing personal snacks and beverages is encouraged.
Transportation: Personal vehicle (or a spot in the caravan) required for field trips. Low-clearance vehicles may encounter some challenging spots (so should be avoided if possible). AWD and 4WD vehicles are ideal.
Hiking: Moderate but over uneven terrain with loose soil and rocks. Maximum of 4 miles per hike and may encounter hot and dry conditions. Rain is possible, especially in the afternoon. 
Group One Start/End: Monday dinner - Wednesday lunch
Group Two Start/End: Wednesday dinner - Friday lunch

Google form for July 7-9, 2025

Google form for July 9-11, 2025

Sky Island Flora of the White Mountains
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

July 17-20, 2025
Jim Morefield and Dylan Neubauer
White Mountain Research Center, Bishop and Crooked Creek

The White Mountains are located at the southwest corner of the Great Basin floristic region, and their geologic and habitat diversity, high relief (spanning 3,950-14,246 feet elevation), and proximity to the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert all contribute to an unusually rich and well-documented flora of over 1,100 taxa. They are also known for the oldest living trees, the highest point in Nevada, and the third highest peak in California. July is typically peak blooming time for the subalpine and alpine floras.

Through driving tours (up to 50 miles in a day) and moderate hikes (up to 4 miles), participants will have the opportunity to explore the southern half of the White Mountains, observing and identifying diverse plants and learning to recognize various geological and ecological settings that influence species distributions and adaptations. Thursday morning, we will start from Bishop and stop at several points up the elevation gradient to our weekend base station at Crooked Creek (10,000 feet). Friday and Saturday will be spent visiting wetland and upland sites in various geologic settings at elevations up to about 12,000 feet, depending on seasonal conditions. Sunday morning will include additional field time before our final lunch stop as we leave the mountains.

Accommodations: Shared dormitories with bathrooms (participants must bring their own linens). The Crooked Creek field station is at 10,000 feet and some of the field sites are as high as ~12,000 feet. To prepare for the conditions of high elevation, participants are encouraged to spend the Wednesday before the workshop at an intermediate elevation.
Meals: Catered meals from dinner on Thursday through lunch on Sunday are included. Omnivore and vegetarian options will be available. Other dietary restrictions are very difficult to accommodate.
Transportation: Personal vehicle (or a spot in the caravan) required for the field trips. Vehicles must have good clearance and sturdy tires (including spare!). High clearance 4WD with extra passenger space preferred.
Hiking: Participants must be able to walk up to 4 miles (at a pace of 30 min/mile), at elevations from 5,000 to 12,000 feet. Walking will be on dirt roads, single-track trails, and cross-country over uneven terrain with up to 800 feet in elevation gain. Due to the extreme elevation, the hikes can be very difficult for those that are not accustomed to high elevation.
Start/End: Thursday 10:00 a.m. (in Bishop) – Sunday, 2:00 p.m.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

Flora of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

July 24-27, 2025
Scott White
The James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve

The San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains are sky islands at the northern end of the Peninsular Ranges. They separate the California Floristic Province from the Sonoran Desert. From west to east, they support chaparral, and montane and subalpine forests, and then transition steeply downslope to desert shrublands. Localized wetlands and edaphic habitats are scattered throughout. The highest peak, Mount San Jacinto, rises to 10,800 feet. This field course will be based at The James Reserve (https://james.ucnrs.org/), part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, which is located in mixed evergreen forest around 5,400 feet elevation. This year’s workshop will focus on higher montane communities (7,000 feet and above). We will botanize along the Pacific Crest Trail, at Santa Rosa Mountain, and will access high elevation wilderness meadows via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. We will practice specimen collection to make permanent vouchers, and use the specimens during informal evening keying sessions. The course will offer an overview of the regional flora and vegetation suitable for all botanists and native plant enthusiasts. For beginning botanists there will be hands-on plant identification, and practice with common family characters, terminology, and keying. For intermediate and advanced botanists, there will be plenty of practice with often-difficult groups (oaks, manzanitas, buckwheats, and more). With luck, we’ll document some unusual occurrences or solve some biogeographic puzzles.

Accommodations: Shared dorms, tent camping.
Meals: Dinners will be provided on the first night, the second night will be a potluck. There will be the option to eat dinner as a group in Idyllwild on the last night. All other meals are the participant’s responsibility.
Transportation: Not provided. Personal vehicle (or a space in the caravan) required for field trips. AWD recommended. Cost of one tram ticket is included in the workshop price.
Hiking: Moderate.
Start/End: Thursday, 4:00 p.m. – Sunday, 12:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

Special Jepson Herbarium 75th Anniversary Celebration at UC Berkeley
Fall 2025
Lectures, social hour, tours, and viewing items from the archives!
Dates and details TBD

Yes, I am interested, please send me details when they are available!.

Grasses of the San Francisco Bay Area
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

October 18-19, 2025
Brody Sandel
UC Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building

Grasses are one of the most diverse and ecologically important plant families. California, and the Bay Area in particular, hosts a remarkable diversity of grasses. This workshop will begin with an overview of the anatomy, evolution and ecology of grasses. We will focus particularly on vegetative and reproductive features that are important for species identification. Most of our time will then be spent using the keys in the Jepson eFlora, focusing on the common genera and species of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Start/End: Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – Sunday, 5:00 p.m.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

Mushrooms and Mycorrhizae of Mendocino
November 14-16, 2025
Klara Scharnagl and Teresa Sholars
In-person at Mendocino Community College and in the field at local sites

The north coast of California is considered to be one of the best places in North America to find both large numbers and diversity of fungi. We will be dealing primarily with the fleshy reproductive structures that most of us recognize as "mushrooms." Mendocino and Fort Bragg, in the heart of mushroom territory, are ideal locations for this introductory class to the systematics and ecology of California mushrooms. Through lectures, slides, and keying, we will emphasize the family and generic characteristics needed for identification. Both in the laboratory and in the field, students will learn some of the common, edible, and toxic mushrooms found in the area. Many of the mushrooms we will encounter are mycorrhizal: we will introduce students to the biology and ecology of mycorrhizal fungi, including their interactions with plants and host specificity. Two main references will be used in the class: 1. Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal Northern California (2016) by Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz. Ten Speed Press 2. California Mushrooms (2015) by Dennis E. Desjardin, Michael G. Wood, Frederick A. Stevens. Timber Press

Also the following are very helpful: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest (2009) by Steve Trudell and Joe Ammirati; Ten Speed Press and Mushrooms Demystified (1986) by David Arora is a good reference but has out-of-date taxonomy (names and classification).

Accommodations: Not provided. Local hotels recommended.
Meals: A pizza lunch will be provided on Friday. Coffee/tea and pastries will be provided on Saturday and Sunday morning at the college. Saturday evening we will have a potluck dinner at Teresa Sholars’ house. Participants are responsible for all other meals.
Transportation: Personal vehicle (or a space in the caravan) required for field trips.
Hiking: Moderate and possibly in cold, wet, and windy conditions.
Start/End: Friday 1:00 p.m. – Sunday, 12:00 p.m.

If you’d like to be enrolled in this workshop, please fill out this Google form.

Poaceae
  —  Workshop is full! Waitlist only.

November 14-16, 2025
J. Travis Columbus
Virtual (on Zoom)

“I am the grass; I cover all.” —Carl Sandburg, “Grass”

Prominent in plant communities throughout California, the grass family, Poaceae, is the state’s second most diverse plant family (after Asteraceae). Its members include cool-season and warm-season species, annuals and perennials, natives and exotics, and widespread dominants and rare endemics. This workshop will provide a better understanding of this ubiquitous, species-rich family. Participants will be instructed in detail on the vegetative and reproductive features of grasses. Aspects of anatomy, physiology, and ecology will also be addressed. Most of our time will be spent learning to use the identification keys in the second edition of The Jepson Manual. Special attention will be given to difficult couplets and taxa. In addition, participants will learn how to identify common genera by using diagnostic characteristics. 

Note: This is a virtual workshop. Each participant will be sent a box of grass samples to work with during the workshop. Participants need access to a computer, Zoom, and a dissecting microscope. 

Experience required: Some previous plant identification.
Start/End: Friday, 9:00 a.m. – Sunday, 3:00 pm.

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please fill out this Google form.

MINI-WORKSHOPS (all virtual)

Registration procedure: To enroll in the mini-workshop, please fill out this Google form. Approximately 5 weeks before the mini-workshop, you will receive an invoice for the workshop fee. Payments must be made online. Please contact Avery Ligon (averyjune@berkeley.edu) to make alternative payment arrangements.

Where Does Food Come From?
August 23, 2025
Brent Mishler
Virtual (on Zoom)

This virtual workshop will address the question "Where Does Food Come From?" from several broad perspectives, following three threads starting from the basics:  evolution, ecology, and biogeography.  We'll examine the diversity of life and the processes that generate and maintain it, where our human lineage comes from, how we interacted with the rest of biodiversity before and after the origins of agriculture, and where on earth our diverse array of current food items comes from (with particular emphasis on plants and fungi).  We'll look at some selected types of foods in more detail, then finish by addressing concerns about the future of food.  How will we feed humanity while also allowing enough space for the rest of biodiversity to flourish?

Start/End: Saturday, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.