Course: Dandelions, Daisies and Thistles: Sorting the Look-alikes

Kent Wildlife Trust

21st June 2026
Maidstone, Kent
£42.50, concessionary fee £5 off

EcologyConservation & Wildlife


Get to grips with the basic features of the largest family of flowering plants

About the event

Can you distinguish between all the thistle lookalikes, between the mayweeds and chamomiles, or between the hawkbits and the hawkweeds?

Sort out the look-alikes in this, the largest family of flowering plants – the Asteraceae (or Compositae as they were previously called).

Spend the morning getting to grips with the basic features of this family, particularly those features that help us sort out the different genera and species. The rest of the day will be spent exploring the local habitats (at a leisurely pace) and practising those ID skills.

By the end of the session you will be able to tackle the identification of the major genera and species of our Asteraceae, by their key floral features, using a hand lens.

Led by Ros Bennett, Botanist

Suitable for beginners and improvers

Fees apply and booking essential.

The cost of this course is £42.50 per person per day.

Concessionary fee: Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers, senior citizens, unemployed and students £5 off.

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About Kent Wildlife Trust

Kent Wildlife Trust is the county’s leading conservation charity. We have over 32,000 members and over 1000 registered volunteers. We manage and protect over 9000 acres of land across more than 80 different sites and nature reserves, alongside 3 visitor centres. We work closely with local communities, landowners and partners to protect and improve habitats in the countryside, coast and town for the benefit of the wildlife and people of Kent. We are working towards creating a better, more sustainable and wilder future.

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