Introduction to Mosses and Allies, May 11-15, 2026 – Nova Scotia Museum Natural History Field School

Apple moss – Bartramia pomiformis

From Sean Haughian, Senior Curator of Botany, Nova Scotia Museum:

Registration is now open for the first course in our  Natural History Field School for 2026.

Students can register for “Introduction to Mosses and Allies” via our online system on Zeffy: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/introduction-to-mosses-and-allies.  The course will run from May 11-15, 2026, based at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.

Course instruction will be lead by Sean Haughian (Curator of Botany at the NSM), with support from Research Associate Anne Mills. Between the two of us we have over 35 years of experience in bryology, so you’ll be in good hands!

This course provides an introduction and practical field experience in the diversity, identification, biogeography, and ecology of mosses and allies. Through daily field trips, students learn to recognize unique microhabitats and what types of mosses and allies they should expect to see. In the afternoons, students learn about moss anatomy and morphology and practice important foundational skills such as microscopy and the use of taxonomic keys.

The course is excellent preparation for post-secondary students who plan to conduct vegetation surveys as part of their field research, or to build desirable skills for employment with conservation or environmental consulting organizations. It is also good professional development for consulting or government biologists who have a role in monitoring or surveying for rare and at-risk species. The course may also appeal to dedicated amateur naturalists or citizen scientists who are seeking to dive more deeply into the world of tiny plants, or to improve the quality of their contributions to bio-blitzes, online platforms (like iNaturalist), or herbaria within their communities.

Please share this with those in your network whom you think might like to attend, and please reach out to me if you wish to take the course but are unable to for financial reasons. While we strive for cost recovery and any proceeds will support programming and research at the Museum, it is a priority that our courses remain accessible, particularly to Nova Scotians.

Important supplies can be purchased in our online shop here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/nova-scotia-museum-of-natural-history-field-schools-shop

But please read the course syllabus before you buy anything – the Moss flora can be downloaded as a free PDF, and most of the other items can be borrowed if you’re not sure whether to dive more deeply into mosses yet. As always, email me with any questions you have.

Field trips will be mostly within 15-60 minutes of the Museum most days, and students and instructors will be invited to carpool for efficiency.

I’m working on getting a subpage for the Field School up on the Museum website, and will share that link as soon as it’s available. Once up, I will post information on additional courses to that page, including an introduction to lichens course slated for some time in the fall.

Best regards,

Sean R. Haughian, Ph.D. (He/Him)