Identification Charts
Looking for the full list of FSC fold-out charts?
FSC fold-out charts set a new standard in popular identification guides...
- Over 60 titles in the series - from Butterflies to Woodland plants
- Name Trails are particularly suitable for children.
- Splash-proof and wipe clean for outdoor use
- Small enough to take into the field - charts fold to B5 size
(approx. 24 x 18 cm) - Clear colour illustrations, grouped to help you quickly make a positive identification
- Text contains further identification notes, a key if appropriate, and further references to help you find out more.
AIDGAP identification guides
Taking identification to the next level? AIDGAP guides are designed to allow non-specialists to identify plants and animals in the field.
Since 1976, the AIDGAP project (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants) has produced simple, well illustrated and clearly written identification guides.
Widely used from sixth-form level upwards, over 25 titles are currently in print. Our guides range from traditional dichotomous keys (such as Land Snails in the British Isles) to innovative formats (such as a Simple Key to Caddis Larvae). All guides are tested extensively in the field before final publication to ensure that they work, even in the hands of a novice.
Interested in being part of the AIDGAP project? It's free!
Synopsis of the British Fauna series
Volumes of the Synopses of the British Fauna provide identification keys and a detailed account of the habitats, distribution and biology of each group of animals; bridging the gap between the popular guide and more specialised monographs and treatises.
While more advanced than the AIDGAP guides, technical terms are generally kept to a minimum and a glossary is usually provided. The Synopses are suitable for more experienced users with no previous knowledge of the group concerned.
RES Handbook series
Now published by FSC, the prestigious RES (Royal Entomological Society) Handbook series provides illustrated identification keys to the insects of Britain. More technical than AIDGAP guides, the Handbooks are designed for more experienced users.
The aim of the RES Handbooks is to provide illustrated identification keys to the insects of Britain, together with concise morphological, biological and distributional information. The series also includes Checklists of British Insects.
Which identification guide to choose?
Take the FSC's stepping stones approach...
- Step One: the Woodland Name Trail fold-out chart - is it a woodlouse? A field guide to the animals of leaf litter designed for children.
- Step Two: the Woodlouse Name Trail fold-out chart - showing 9 of the commonest woodlice in the British Isles. A field guide for the beginner.
- Step Three: Woodlice AIDGAP guide - simple dichotomous keys to all 37 woodlice species in the British Isles. A field guide for biological fieldwork.
- Step Four: Woodlice Synopsis of the British Fauna - a taxonomic monograph on the woodlice of the British Isles. A lab and field guide for the specialist.
