Start Date
06/13/2024
End Date
06/27/2024
Description
Explore the dynamic and diverse plant communities present in our area. Learn how ecology, geology, hydrology, plants, and animals, all interact to create healthy ecosystems through classroom study and field trips. Understand the complexities of these communities and how to replicate similar plant associations in your home landscape. Enrich your learning with resources including the Flora of Delaware Online Database and A Guide to Delaware Vegetation Communities.
Day 1
9:45-10:00 am: Registration
10:00-10:45 am: What is ecology? Define – House of Many; Interaction of living things (biotic) with their environment (abiotic)
•What is an ecosystem •Food webs •Why is your garden considered an ecosystem?
10:45-11:15 am: Interconnectedness of land, plants and animals (including humans) in ecosystem development •Geology of Delaware (Piedmont and Coastal Plain) •Influence of soils on ecosystems (plant species composition and diversity, i.e., well-drained vs. poorly drained, nutrient rich vs. nutrient poor) •Role of hydrology in ecosystems
11:15-12:15 pm: Field trip to Meadow and Ponds
12:15-12:45 pm: Lunch break
12:45-1:45 pm: Communities and Habitats •Define and discuss plant communities and habitats •Briefly describe Delaware’s major plant communities •Key differences between shrubland and forest •Key differences between a grassland and meadow •Key differences between a marsh and swamp •Define and discuss habitats/niches •Common animals that use each community
1:45-2:30 pm: Succession •Order in which species appear in ecosystems over time •Indicators of an ecosystem’s status along the continuum of succession •What interferes with natural progression of succession
2:30-3:30 pm: Field trip to Natural Lands
3:30 pm: Class dismissal
Day 2
10:00-11:00 am: Presentation: A Tour of the Plant Communities and Flora of Delaware: Description of Delaware plant communities on a broad-scale with common native plants they support
11:00-11:15 am: Travel to Piedmont sites (Brandywine Park)
11:15-12:15 pm: Visit forest, swamp and riparian communities
12:15-12:45 pm: Lunch break
12:45-3:45 pm: Visit forest, swamp and riparian communities
3:45-4:00 pm: Travel to Mt. Cuba Center
4:00 pm: Class dismissal
Day 3
7:45-8:00 am: Check in at Mt. Cuba Center
8:00-10:00 am: Travel to Coastal Plain
10:00-1:30 pm: Visit Cape Henlopen Atlantic coastal beaches, dunes, inner-dunes, maritime forest, maritime wetlands, lunch break
1:30-1:45 pm: Travel to Coastal Plain Seasonal Pond
1:45-2:45 pm: Coastal Plain Seasonal Pond
2:45-3:00 pm: Travel to Travel to site on Brickyard Rd with Upland Forest, Forested Wetland and Atlantic White Cedar
3:00-4:00 pm: Visit Upland Forest, Forested Wetland and Atlantic White Cedar
4:00-5:30/6:00 pm: Travel back to Mt. Cuba Center
Location
Hockessin, DE
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Horticulture / Plants
Sustainable Development & Design
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
14.50
Learning Outcomes
1. Learn how ecology, geology, hydrology, plants, and animals interact to create healthy ecosystems.
2. Understand the complexities of various plant communities, and how to replicate similar plant associations in the home landscape.
3. Explore Delaware plant communities on a broad-scale; see the common native plants they support.
Instructors
William McAvoy; Lynn Mahaffy
Course Codes
Provider
Mt. Cuba Center