Resources for Education and Monitoring

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This mat has been designed specifically to aid with the monitoring of riverflies under the Riverfly Partnership scheme. The eight groups of invertebrates that are required to be selected and counted, can be sorted into the divided plastic tray with the mat acting as a guide to their placement within the divisions. The key points to identification are printed on the outer circle and there are large clear illustrations to offer additional guidance.

A single mat can be ordered by using the PayPal button below. Payment is by card or PayPal account.  To order 2 or more mats please contact us by phone or by email so that the correct P & P can be calculated. Orders can be accepted from established organisations. In other cases, payment must be received before dispatch.

 With the Freshwater Sorting Mat alongside the pond or stream, there is a simple method available for identifying the invertebrates that have been caught. Essentially, it is a key. The start point is the middle of the circle and the choice made at each of the concentric boundaries will lead you to a conclusion on the outer rim. Here, each type of animal is illustrated with a typical example. It is possible of course, to go straight to the picture that matches the animal, and then moving towards the middle will allow the identification to be verified. 

 The standard mat size is 62 cm x 62 cm (2ft x 2ft) and will lay on top of a table or can be placed on the ground. Larger sizes can be made to order. The wipe clean vinyl is ideal for the waterside environment where initial identification of animals can be made by placing them in groups such as “dragonflies” or “beetles”. Identification can then be taken further with other charts or books if necessary. Some additional guidance notes are written outside each of the sectors. 

A single mat can be ordered by using the PayPal button below. Payment is by card or PayPal account.  To order 2 or more mats please contact us by phone or by email so that the correct P & P can be calculated. Orders can be accepted from established organisations. In other cases, payment must be received before dispatch.

The sturdy  and durable printed vinyl mat measures 120cm in diameter. The 12 sectors are labelled with the names of the animal groups most often encountered during bug collecting activities. Simple line drawings help to define the groups.

If animals are collected singly in small closable containers, they can be placed on the mat in the appropriate place. This provides a quick visual summary of the composition of the invertebrate community in the habitat being investigated. A digital photo taken from directly above the mat creates a permanent record of the “catch” and from this, numerical data can be generated which can then be used to create graphs or to write descriptions of the differences between habitats, collecting methods etc.

The mat is printed on a sheet together with an overlay panel showing Springtails which can be used to replace Lepidoptera when pitfall trapping. (See image below) The remaining space has ben used to print tokens that can be placed on the mat instead of the pots containing the live animals. The vinyl is easy to cut with a pair of scissors. 

A single mat can be ordered by using the PayPal button below. Payment is by card or PayPal account.  To order 2 or more mats please contact us by phone or by email so that the correct P & P can be calculated. Orders can be accepted from established organisations. In other cases, payment must be received before dispatch.

Featuring a wide range of animal groups that can be found while collecting from a stream or river, this double sided A4 encapsulated sheet provides information about life stage, size, diet and respiration. The name of the family is given and also an indication of which of these families form part of the analysis for two of the citizen science monitoring schemes: Riverfly Monitoring Initiative and Extended Riverfly Monitoring.

A single sheet can be ordered by using the PayPal button below. Payment is by card or PayPal account.  To order 2 or more sheets please contact us by phone or by email so that the correct P & P can be calculated. Orders can be accepted from established organisations. In other cases, payment must be received before dispatch.

Using some of the more striking images captured during the travels of the Hi-Tech Wild-Trek trailer, this set of four notecards and envelopes are left blank inside for you to write your own message. Each card measures approx. 15×10 cm

The fearsome head-on view of an Emperor Dragonfly nymph might be the last thing you see if you are an unwary tadpole. More nimble frog tadpoles might live to develop the four legs and more frog-like appearance of an adult, but still with a tail to re-adsorb. A magnificently sturdy Great Diving Beetle is another accomplished underwater predator. The grooves on the back of this one indicate that it is a female. The image of two Greater Water Boatmen challenges the eye. The natural pose of these predatory bugs is to hang upside down under the water film where they can breathe via the tip of the abdomen. Freshwater Life Notecards can be purchased by contacting us by phone, email, or using the button below.

A single pack can be ordered by using the PayPal button below. Payment is by card or PayPal account.  To order 2 or more packs please contact us by phone or by email so that the correct P& P can be calculated. Orders can be accepted from established organisations. In other cases, payment must be received before dispatch.