“John’s course is a brilliant way of learning at your own pace, a very good alternative to an intensive residential weekend. As a beginner, it’s good to focus on species found near your home or in habitats you regularly visit, and with John on hand to help you identify these species you’re on to a winner! John provides helpful detailed comments on your identification, which point out, in a positive and supportive way, where you have gone wrong, so you can avoid making those mistakes again. This is a really good way to learn. I thoroughly recommend his course. Thank you very much!”
Catherine Mowat on our ‘Identifying bryophytes in the field’ distance learning course in 2021/2.

“The best course I have ever done, enjoyed it so much, it has given me confidence in my identification skills which I lacked and inspired me to keep improving. Thank you!”
Anna Macfie on our ‘Grass Identification and Ecology’ distance learning course in 2021.

“This has been excellent. Bryophyte study is a new area for me and I was a little apprehensive at how successful this could be as a distance learning course, but it was really excellent. The exercises were clearly explained and well-paced, although it did mean you had to be self-driven. John is extremely patient and gives really useful and detailed feedback, which helped reinforce ID skills. I think the six month period was great too – long enough to really focus on this area of study. And I think your guidance about setting realistic targets was good too.”
Sarah Horton on our ‘Identifying Bryophytes in the Field’ distance learning course in 2020.

“Thank you for the feedback and thanks also for providing a very instructive and interesting course. Looking back through the notes I am reminded how little I knew about grasses when I started, compared with now – recognising of course how much more there is still to learn! I look forward to practising next spring.”
Rachel Huxham on our ‘Grass Identification and Ecology’ distance learning course in 2020.

“Overall I really enjoyed the challenge of doing this course. Your feedback has been really helpful and you have patiently explained details on the many samples I sent that were not on your 100 list.”
Royanne Wilding on our ‘Identifying Bryophytes in the Field’ distance learning course in 2019.

“I can’t really emphasise enough how useful it is to me to be able to check these samples through your plant identification course. If you were not providing this support I’m not sure what I would do.”
James Brockbank on our ‘General Plant Identification Support’ distance learning course in 2019.

“In general I thought that it was very well structured with challenging questions and activities set that helped to stretch my knowledge and understanding of how the NVC works. You were always very prompt in responding with helpful feedback on my answers. I feel more confident at identifying NVC communities now. I think that distance learning over a longer period is a great way to learn as it spreads the learning over a longer time period and hopefully this helps to embed it more in the brain. ”
Nicole Dunn on our ‘Identifying NVC communities’ distance learning course in 2018.

“I have enjoyed the course – it is well structured which gives an incentive to get out and look for bryophytes. The feedback is good and very necessary as otherwise too many times one just goes round in circles without help. I think the course has left me wanting to do more.”
Margaret Harris on our ‘Bryophyte Identification’ distance learning course in 2017.

“I thought the course was brilliant. I enjoyed it and learnt a lot. I cannot think of a better way to learn how to identify bryophytes: picking a sample, trying to identify it and then obtaining feedback. This way one can learn from mistakes and gain confidence for the future while, at the same time, creating a collection of samples with confirmed identification which will be incredibly useful going forward.” James Brockbank
on our ‘Bryophyte Identification’ distance learning course in 2017.

“Easy to understand and good for beginners. Feel like I can continue with key and practise more.”
Jody Ferguson Cumbria Wildlife Trust, on our ‘Introduction to sedge identification’ course for CWT in 2016.

“Good mix of classroom/fieldwork, as well as sitting listening/doing work ourselves. The course was enjoyable and interesting. I felt confident in asking questions and felt that questions were answered fully and clearly” Laura
Thompson on our ‘Introduction to Phase 1 Habitat Survey’ course for Econorth Ltd. in 2016.

“I really enjoyed keying out in the field. I liked the repitition of features and trying out surveying. John is an excellent, patient teacher.”
Ruth Starr-Keddle North Pennines AONB Partnership, on our ‘Sphagnum Identification & Ecology’ course in 2016.

“Thanks – Well designed course, as building on earlier elements. Good pace and materials. Great site for survey. Helpful & knowledgeable trainer. I have always wanted to do this course – its on my small bucket list.”
Clare Ross on our ‘Introduction to Phase 1 Habitat Survey’ course in 2016.

“Best ecological training bar none! Your knowledge and experience of a vast range of ecological methods and concepts is unsurpassed and your ability to communicate them in an engaging and informative way is amazing. Ptyxis courses should be a part of every ecologist’s professional development!”
David Morley Head of Conservation, H & H Land and Property Ltd, on our ‘Understanding NVC’ course in 2016.

“The course was well structured and well delivered. I would recommend the course to any professional ecologists undertaking Phase 1 surveys.”
James Bird BSc(Hons) ACIEEM Consultant Ecologist on our ‘Grasses, sedges & rushes for Phase I habitat survey’ course in 2014.

“Really good course to give ideas of uses/incorrect uses of NVC in particular. Good to do it all manually.”
Genevieve Dalley on our ‘Understanding NVC for surveyors and conservation land managers’ course in 2014.

“Very good. The key is very clear with lots on indicators and clues regarding field variation. John – very patient, willing to answer questions and sympathetic/understanding when difficult to see characteristics, e.g. stem leaves. He has lots of suggestions of ways to help you see them. Also – a good amount of repetition on most common mosses so we could reiterate what we had learnt. And not too many mosses – did not feel he was on a mission to find as many mosses as possible. The emphasis was on teaching, not moss-spotting”
Helen Adamson PhD student & Lecturer, Newcastle University, on our ‘Sphagnum identification & ecology’ course in 2014.

“Lots of opportunities to ask questions. I feel confident in understanding Phase 1 surveys and mapping after the course and feel that my approach to the survey will be more consistent in future.”
Catherine Charles on our ‘Introduction to Phase 1 Habitat Survey’ course for Econorth Ltd. in 2016.

“Much more confident when faced with a field full of green grass that I will be able to identify most of the species using the information/knowledge & keys supplied on this course. Teacher very patient and went over open and closed sheaths repeatedly.”
Zoe Foster on our ‘Grasses, sedges & rushes for Phase I habitat survey’ course in 2014.

“Really well-presented & simplified a lot of complicated things.”
C Langdon on our ‘Understanding NVC for surveyors and conservation land managers’ course in 2014.

“Brilliant 2 days. Lots new learning. Informative, practical, fun, challenging. Excellent learning environment. Great teaching too.”
Lizzie Maddison on our ‘Introduction to bryophytes’ course for the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s Wildwatch project in 2014.

“Explained how NVC works in an easy to understand way. Practical exercises highlighted pitfalls & fact that there’s no perfect answer sometimes. Really enjoyed constructing floristic tables from own data as made interpreting data much easier than relying on Tablefit. Overall a thorough, well-planned course.”
Andrew Skinner on a ‘NVC survey
‘ course we devised and ran for RSPB staff and trainees in 2013.

“Extremely well-delivered course. Content was excellent and appropriate. Overall a very good course indeed and I would recommend this to anybody interested in developing their skills & knowledge in this discipline.”
William Bartholomew Lead land management & conservation adviser, Natural England, North Yorkshire, on our ‘Introduction to bryophytes’ course in 2012.

“I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed your course! I was walking through the fields to my allotment on Sunday morning and the sheer thrill of realising that I could identify (not recognise!) a lot of the grasses, and knew how to go about identifying the others which I didn’t know was, quite honestly, a revelation. It was the most magical moment!”
Charlotte Weightman RSPB Twite Recovery Project, on Grass Indicators in Flower 2011.