This beginner to intermediate course is designed to be a gentle introduction to surveying freshwater invertebrates for those that have had limited or no experience of identifying them.

You will use hand lenses, microscopes and identification keys to look at what makes a mayfly a mayfly, and how to tell apart the larvae of beetles and flies. Our tutor will guide you through a combination of classroom and field sessions to build up your knowledge, skills and confidence.

This course will include:

• An overview of the major groups of freshwater invertebrates in the UK.
• Sampling techniques including practical experience of pond sampling and river sampling.
• An introduction to using and understanding identification resources to identify freshwater invertebrates to both order and family level.
• A beginners guide to setting up and using microscopes to view freshwater invertebrates.
• Practical experience of using the Field Studies Council AIDGAP ‘Key to the major groups of British freshwater invertebrates‘ to identify invertebrates to order and family level using external morphological features.

Booking and information