Herbivorous Insect Diversity Workshop • June 23, 2026

Instructor
Matt Wallace
Professor of Biological Sciences, Ph.D. in Entomology

Workshop Limit 24 students. Full-time student rate is available. Register early!

• Anyone interested in insect identification, insect natural history, and botany is encouraged to attend.
• No previous experience with insects is necessary.
• A basic understanding of the Linnaean taxonomic hierarchy would be helpful.
• Microscopes will be provided for the identification portion.
• Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown-bag lunch. There is a Wawa close to campus (5-minute walk) and abundant fast-food choices (~15-minute walk).
• Please wear comfortable footwear for the afternoon walk.

Matt will provide a general introduction to insect morphology, and a discussion of the taxonomy/natural history/economic significance of noteworthy herbivorous insect families in the orders Hemiptera (true bugs, aphids, and hoppers), Coleoptera (beetles), and Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, bees). Following these introductory lectures, Matt will present identification techniques of selected herbivorous insect orders & families, and attendees will get hands-on experience identifying insects to the family-level using dichotomous keys. Matt will also lead a walk of the ESU campus/arboretum, discussing interesting plants and insects along the way.

Schedule

9:00–9:15. Introductions. Room G2

9:15–10:15. An Insect Morphology Primer. Room G2

10:15–10:30. Break

10:30–noon. Herbivorous family diversity discussion:
Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera. Room G2

Noon–2:00: Lunch and Campus Walk

2:00–4:30: Identification lab. Room 206

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Pennsylvania Botany