Indicator Plants: Using Plants to Evaluate the Environment

Book excerpt: The guide looks at how plants may be used to 'read the environment', essentially treating them as indicators of the state of the habitat where they are found. It was written with three sets of people in mind: 1. Junior ecological consultants who want to improve their Phase 1 Habitat Surveys with botanical target notes useful in ecological assessment. 2. Students of ecology who need to use plants to interpret the landscape around them and understand habitats in greater detail. 3. Amateur naturalists and walkers who seek to enrich their experience of the countryside through a knowledge of plants. Compiled from a range of published sources and from the author's personal experience, it is intended for use primarily in the lowland English countryside.