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Day 1 (13th June) will be at World Museum, Liverpool. Day 2 (14th June) will be at Rixton Clay Pits, Warrington.

Psyllids (Jumping Plant Lice) are a small, understudied group of Hemiptera often overlooked until they attack your favourite plants. This course introduces their ecology and identification. While some adults have distinctive wing patterns, many species require microscopic examination – sometimes of both sexes. Nymphs can also be identified under a microscope, though this is challenging. Psyllids are highly host-specific plant feeders, so finding them usually involves targeted searches. This 2-day workshop includes fieldwork to locate and identify species at Rixton Clay Pits, Warrington (on day 2).

Our tutor: Dr. Joe Botting, is a palaeontologist and entomologist, he co-authors the British Bugs website and has a special interest in psyllids and hoppers. He runs the Psyllid recording scheme and plans to revive it after a hiatus. He lives in the relatively psyllid-poor area of mid Wales (most species are tied to warmer climates), because that’s where the best fossils are, but likes to make up for it when the sun comes out.

Workshop level – Beginner/Intermediate