Join us this February at the Viles Arboretum to sharpen your winter plant identification skills with renowned botanist Dr. Eric Doucette! Shout out to FB Environmental for sponsoring this event!
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Time: 8am - 3pm
Location: Viles Arboretum, 153 Hospital St. Augusta, ME 04330
Instructor: Dr. Eric Doucette is the State Botanist for the Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP), where he is responsible for rare plant inventories, maintaining and updating the RTE plant list, and general ecological surveys. He holds a PhD in plant systematics from the University of Maine and served as an associate professor of biology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where he taught courses in botany, field botany, and conservation biology.
Program overview:
Arrival and coffee
Winter twig ID lecture
Indoor guided keying of specimens
Lunch
Outdoor field walk to identify twigs in their natural setting. (If severe weather occurs, specimens will be collected and the workshop will be held indoors.)
What to bring:
Warm layers + whatever you need to stay comfortable for a few hours outdoors in February
Something to take notes with
A hand lens
Enthusiasm for winter plant ID
Lunch is pack your own!
Please note: We are unable to offer refunds for cancellations.