Science behind the scenes. . .

Recently I took a group of bug crazy children behind the scenes at the Oxford University Natural History Museum www.oum.ox.ac.uk/ to see for themselves the active entomological research going on behind the museums hidden doors. I do not want the children, who are mustard keen at the moment, to grow up thinking entomologists hide away in old dusty rooms smelling of moth balls!! This was a trip designed to make them understand what an entomologist does in the museum when they are not traveling to the far reaches of our planet in search of new species and discoveries. They met Darren Mann, the man who brings 'seriously cool' into entomology and who is also Assistant Curator and Collections Manager of the Hope Entomological Collections. He has had the honor of having many beetles named after him and is devoted to studying the scarab family. It was the most fantastic experience for the children! They learnt what happens to specimens after they are collected. How they are stored, maintained, identified, studied and labelled. They saw some of Charles Darwin's specimens and Dr. David Livingstone's famous tsetse fly as well as the awe inspiring site of the myriad of invertebrates from all over the world. They learnt how species identification can be time consuming work and how up to date technology is used. They even got the chance to help practically with some of the museums live invertebrate exhibits. The science of entomology became very alive for these children and each one went home inspired and enthused - mission accomplished, fabulous!

Drawers of full of surprises!

Using microscopy equipment.

Helping with an exhibit and choosing a treasure to take home as an memento of a very special day.

Make the most of Museums!

Museums have always held a fascination for this family and top of our list are Natural History Museums. So much to see, read, experience and learn. Museums are what you make them. Do not just sit there with a coffee and let your children wander around, experience each exhibit with them. Learn together! The collections you see are often unique and hold so much wonder. Encourage your children to stop and stare - if they can, to touch and feel. We learn through our senses the best. Do not forget to look at the buildings themselves. Natural history museums are often housed inside stunning buildings with a heady mix of ornate architecture and detailed decorations. Two of the many great museums to visit are the London Natural History Museum www.nhm.ac.uk/ and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History www.oum.ox.ac.uk/ . The OUMNH houses the Hope Entomological Collection and is an active invertebrate research centre. There is an extremely good permanent exhibit devoted to entomology as well as living displays and the opportunity to handle real live invertebrates. Have a superb family day out - go and immerse yourselves in a really awesome learning zone! Entrance is free but save a penny for a dinosaur cookie in the cafe overlooking the T-Rex exhibit. Hurry though, the OUMNH will be closed during 2013 for extensive roof repairs. When it reopens in 2014 it will be as fantastic as the day it hosted Charles Darwin's Great Debate in 1860!

Hands on sessions are always popular- a gorgeous Flat-rock Scorpion.

    Oxford University Natural History Museum.

Perfect Pinning. . .

Entomologists pin invertebrates to keep a record of the species they find and to enable other people to have a reference for study as pinned insects keep for a very long time indeed - Charles Darwin's pinned insects are still as good as new! Entomologists do not pin every insect they find, but a cross section of species they find on a single field trip. There are strict guide lines dictating the correct humane methods of killing invertebrates www.royensoc.co.uk/InvLink/Index.html They are instantly gassed in special 'killing jars' and mounted on boards only after the appropriate time. They must be laid out in such a way that the most entomological knowledge can be gained from them. The teaching of pinning methods is taken very seriously as live creatures are initially involved. When Bug Club children are taken on field trips they are expected to set traps, pin, identify, label their specimens and make notes on the habitat accordingly. It is very important that a child does not disrespect their duty to the humane killing of invertebrates for pinning and always approach this subject with true respect and concentration. When a habitats invertebrate life is examined, it is very similar to taking a 'blood sample' to assess the health of that environment. It is the small life that indicate any changes in the environment first as they are the greatest effected and otherwise unnoticed. They make up the important foundations of an entire ecosystem and must be studied to monitor our planets overall health as well as individual habitats.

True concentration is needed to prepare a specimen.

A carefully mounted dragonfly with its wings laid out under paper. When it is set the paper and extra pins will be removed.

Max Barclay (Curator and collections manager of Coleoptera and Hemiptera at the London Natural History Museum), teaches future young entomologists how to pin correctly.

Celebrating Entomology with Children!

The Amateur Entomological Society's (AES) Bug Club is a great club for bug mad children between 5 and 17 years old. Extremely reasonably price at a annual subscription of £12.00 per child. www.amentsoc.org/bugclub/ The Bug Club organizes loads of events throughout the year and they are all well attended. Its a great way to help your child meet like minded friends and build their confidence with lots of opportunities to produce exhibits, give talks and have articles published. The children are always delighted to see their work published in a magazine and you get to keep it forever (after showing the grandparents)! Amongst all the events on offer there is also the chance to go away on field trips. These are very exciting trips for the children as they include going out at night to check traps and see moths, pond dipping and pinning workshops. Expert and well known entomologists are a constant presence as are other suitably qualified and CRB checked adults. The knowledge and encouragement these children receive is exceptional. It is the sort of experience that will stay with them for life and they might even make life long friends!

Using the bug hoover is always fun!

The next morning excitement of checking the moth traps!

Identifying small grassland species.

When its good to get muddy!

Tremendous Trade Fair!!

Get ready for the Amateur Entomological Society's (AES) Annual Exhibition and Trade Fair at Kempton Park Racecourse TW165AQ. Saturday 6th October 2012, 11am - 4.30pm. This is a fantastic entomological show to go to and the largest in the UK! There will be rows upon rows of traders and societies. It is open to everyone to attend - you do not need to be members- and at £4 per adult, £2 per child (under 7's free) pay on the gate, it is good value as a day out. There is simply so much to see, buy and learn on two levels of the exhibition building that you will be blown away! It is stuffed full of books, equipment, livestock, specimens and food plants. If your child is a member of the AES Bug Club they can enter a invertebrate based exhibit and with prize money on offer it is worth doing!! Come along and enjoy a tremendous day out meeting fellow enthusiasts and feasting your eyes on some of the worlds, as well as the UK's, amazing invertebrates! www.amentsoc.org/events/exhibitions.html

Learn about and admire invertebrates. Be inspired and meet like minded people at the AES Trade Fair 2012

Winter in waiting

Before the Autumn has time to prepare us for winters grip think about helping our overwintering invertebrates. They have had a very bad year this year with the continuous extremes of wet and cold weather so the over wintering population is more precious than ever. Leaving old assorted tree logs in a sheltered place is fantastic as is making an insect tower from wooden pallets stuffed with various mediums (see an earlier blog entry). If you do not have the space for either you can buy various different small insect houses from places like garden centers. You can also make something cheaper at home with your children or at school with your class. Invertebrates require shelter to protect and hide themselves in. Natural materials work best such as sticks, tree bark, straw and leaves to name but a few. There will need to be tiny gaps so the invertebrates can get in and move around so do not pack your materials in too tight. You will need a net to keep everything together and a roof as well as a base to protect the 'house' from deterioration. It is so easy and fun that the children will love to build their own - remember to put them somewhere sheltered such as  under a hedge, bush, behind the garden shed or greenhouse. Many of the insects you are helping to overwinter will be beneficial in your garden next spring too!

Using Birch log rounds, dark green plastic garden mesh, moss, leaves and bark these children have made tiny habitats ideal to help overwintering invertebrates. The mesh was attached using a staple gun. The children learnt about habitats, materials, insects, design and craft - they also all got something to take home (including pride in their project) - fabulous!

On the subject of . . . . . .

I have been really busy with schools recently especially as this is the 'minibeast term' for many primary schools. I only wish I could remember all the things I hear during my visits to the foundation years in particular! The children are fantastic and I always try to encourage discussion because I believe it helps the learning process. Below are a few that have actually stuck in my mind and made me inwardly chuckle.

"Can anyone tell me the name of a minibeast they have found?" "Nits."

"Luke is a snail. His shell is part of his body just like your finger nail on your finger. If you hurt his shell he could die." "No he couldn't." "Yes he will because it is part of his body." "No he wont." "Look here and you can see where his shell is joined to the soft part of his body. So if you break his shell you really are hurting him and he really could die." " No."  "Yes he will poppet." "No he wont cause he'll be a slug."

"This is a really, really cool insect. She curls up her bottom, that we call an abdomen, and holds out her front legs to look just like pincers. She is pretending to be a creature you can find in the desert, and that can kill you with the venomous sting at the end of its tail. What do you think it is that she is trying to mimic?" "A lobster."

"Some insects go through an amazing change as they grow up. Can anyone here tell me how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly?" "My mum says she wants to change our dad cause he wont grow up."
 
"Does anyone know what a larva is?" "Oooh yes, yes!! . . . . It comes out of mountains!"

Often the joy of working with young children is just listening in to their views of the world around them. There is a hidden danger lurking around every corner of discussion though. The importance of the Tooth Fairy and the very sad (and often very graphic), demise of the hamster are awesome subjects but not always directly related to the topic of the day. The trick is turning it, as quickly and painlessly as possible, back on to the main subject before they all have time to get going on rapidly digressing views!

A child's eye often sees the things we adults do not. Listening to their descriptions gives you a good idea of how much they understand and evaluate the subject you are trying to teach. There is often plenty to make you smile as well!

Pupa, Chrysalis or Cocoon?

Invertebrates go through two types of growth stages. One is called incomplete metamorphosis. This is when the invertebrate undergoes little, or no difference, as it matures into an adult. Grasshoppers are a good example. The young (nymphs) look identical to the adults except at the very last exoskeleton moult (instar). They then develop a usable set of wings. Some stick insect species never experience any change other than size as they mature, but a few do produce wings (sometimes these are only vestigial ). Then we have my favourite, complete metamorphosis. This is the really amazing one! The embryo becomes a larva then pupates into the adult (imago). The pupa is where all the body change is going on and I like to think of it as a mould, as it usually shows all the features of the adult yet to emerge. In the Lepidoptera order (butterflies and moths), the pupa is referred to as a chrysalis. The duration inside the pupa depends on the species and the climate. The cocoon is the casing around the pupa that some, but not all, species choose to make. Some beetle species make a cocoon out of the substrate around themselves. Some moth species spin the most incredible silk cocoons. Whatever they look like, the cocoons are simply made to help protect and camouflage the pupa. Just fantastic!

Chinese Owl Moth caterpillar just starting pupation. The external skin will harden and become black in colour. There is no cocoon as it all takes place hidden underground.

Oxfordshire goes wild!!

Have the most brilliant day out with your family at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History on Saturday 21st April 2012 from 12 to 4pm. This is such a fantastic day on many levels. Its free - that is always a good start! There are going to be loads of organizations there that specialize in the amazing natural world around us. You and your family can take part in lots of practical projects and even take some home with you. Best of all it is hosted by the Museum http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/  itself. Bursting at the seams with great displays and awesome exhibits, all set in the most incredibly beautiful building. What a fabulous way to spend your day when the April showers are in full swing and you want to get excited about our stunning countryside. Remember, finding out things and learning together is sharing the experience. That really does bond you together as a family. Have fun!

Natural History Museums always seem to be in the most incredible buildings.

Oxford's is no exception. The stone, the carvings, the iron work, the vaulted glass roof.........

What is in a name?

Creepy crawlies, minibeasts, bugs, insects, invertebrates. So many names are used to describe the life forms that live in and around the under growth. Minibeasts is favored by schools especially pre-school and primary. Insects is not a true term as the word insect means 'cut into' and refers to only those with six legs. Spiders have eight legs and are Arachnids, Millipedes with their many legs are Myriapods and so the list goes on. All of which are actually are members of the Arthropod phylum, the biggest animal group on the planet. Invertebrate means a life form without a back bone and therefore includes creatures such as crabs and lobsters who are Crustaceans and also Arthropods. That leaves us with creepy crawlies, (not keen on that as it sends out entirely the wrong message) and bugs. Bugs is a well rounded word. It does not do anyone an injustice and actually has a rather friendly feel to it, partially thanks to the film Bugs Life. What name do I use? Well I tend to refer to my collection as invertebrates or inverts for slang. It is slightly more scientific than bugs and also it embraces a wider range of creatures. I am certainly not adverse to using the words bugs or minibeasts, but I definitely do draw the line at creepy crawlies or critters!!

A Shield Bug. The perfect name - a bug with a body that is shaped like a shield.
Who said Entomology was complicated?

 Shield Bug nymphs hatching.

Putting the bounce into spring.

Up date on the Giant Floridan Katydids, Stilpnochlora couloniana ( please scroll down the blog for the previous 'Banishing the winter blues' post ). The eggs are hatching and the nymphs are quite literally pinging all over the place! Stunning little invertebrates with incredibly long antenna and beautifully marked legs. Great to see them after such a long wait. Brilliant!

The hatching nymphs squeeze out of their egg cases.

Legs that are designed to put in a sizable jump. Great for escaping potential predators.

Irresistible invertebrates....

Just had the genuine pleasure to spend some great time in the rather fun company of food fanatic Stefan Gates. The man that is BBC1 CBBC's Gastronaut. He is on a mission to put invertebrates on the menu. We in the western world find the concept of eating insects ( Entomophagy ) unusual and even disturbing, however 80% of the worlds nations eat invertebrates as a major source of protein. Beetle grubs, caterpillars, crickets and ants are just a few of the delicacies on offer. There is an environmental reason too, in light of our predicted fresh water shortage, 150g of grasshopper meat requires a nominal amount of water to produce. It takes 3290 litres of fresh water to produce the same amount of beef. Our very existence depends on many factors but one important one is invertebrates. They pollinate, decompose matter, increase soil fertility and provide a direct food source. Forget I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and think more along the lines of a sustainable future where every option has to be considered. Personally, the Thai Curried Crickets were delicious!

Gastronaut Stefan Gates.

Cooking with a fire extinguisher. At least it will not burn!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

Great, fabulous and fantastic! Grab those sweep nets and get out there! The day time and night time temperatures are creeping up and our wonderful British invertebrates are starting to stir. I get so excited this time of the year! We have baby animals appearing on the farm with a beautiful new red Dexter calf and lots of healthy Wiltshire Horn lambs. It is an absolute joy to see them leaping around in gangs, just simply exuberant in the rays of the warm sun. The clocks are going forward and British Summer Time is on the agenda. I even smelt the wafts of a distant barbecue this afternoon. Something is happening down in the pond too. The water is rippled with the thrashings of Common Toads Bufo bufo trying to mate. The males cluster around the female, pushing off their rivals with their hind legs in an effort to guard her while she spawns. Toad spawn ( the eggs) are laid in strings entwined around water plants and can be up to 10 meters long. These gorgeous chaps can not start to get active until the warmth has bought out the many invertebrates that they need to feed on. All their croaking is the perfect heralding of spring!

Male Common Toads beginning to fight over a female.

Common frog Rana temporaria spawn. Remember, frog
spawn is in clumps and toad spawn is in strings.

There is always one. Tracey the pet lamb, perfectly at home, in her not so natural environment of our kitchen!

Science Week Success!

Bring Science Week alive with living things when the Minibeast Mayhem Roadshow visits your school! Loads to do as far as invertebrates are concerned for the 2012 Science Week. Fantastic interaction for KS1 and KS2 with loads of science activities and curriculum links. It is just brilliant to enthuse the children with a hands on experience and they learn an incredible amount this way. Minibeasts is such a huge topic and covers many subjects such as Art, Design and Technology, ICT, English Literature and Language, Mathematics and Science. You can look into habitats, life cycles, classification, anatomy, adaptations, food chains and webs. The list just goes on and on! Ugly Bug Balls have become a popular way to end the week with Dragonfly Discos and Ladybird Line Dances. It is all about learning and one of the best ways to guarantee that is with excitement, fun and great experiences. If you are looking for extra resources, the British Science Association http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/nsew/GetInvolved/NSEWActivities/_ActivityPacks/SaveOurBees.htm  is good and has a rather vital educational link with so many of our native bees now in a decline. Rowse Honey has also come up with various Bee based teaching resources at http://www.beeschool.co.uk .If you want a minibreast resource embracing more invertebrates, the National STEM Centre have a very useful discovery pack  http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/resource/2189/minibeast-discovery-pack .What ever you choose to do, make Science Week a success for you and your class!

Look at this awesome Leaf Insect, Phyllium giganteum. You can talk about adaptations, camouflage, habitats and so much more whilst she stands on your children's hands. Nothing captures their interests so well as a hands on big bug experience. Bring learning alive!

In focus.

A slightly surreal day today.  Some of the invertebrates took to the limelight as models for a macro photographic shoot. They were unfazed by the whole experience which pleased me as I was not entirely sure how they would cope with the bright flashes from multiple lights. Another worry was the heat from lamps being dangerous or encouraging flight, but this was all unfounded.  It was so impressive to see the invertebrates photographed under the knowledgeable tuition of professional photographer John Holdship. Just listening in taught me so much more about depth of field and macro lenses. The very best part of all though was seeing some of the rushes.Wow! The detail was incredible! Amazing to look at the subtle colours which are hard to spot with the naked eye; the joints in legs, veins in wings, spiracles (breathing holes along the abdomen) and so much more. Wonderful to actually get that close to them and explore them in such detail without using a microscope. We were all chuffed with the results! www.openspacephotography.com

General Grievous, a Dead Leaf Mantis Deroplatys desiccata working his moment.

Jack, a male Jungle Nymph Heteropteryx dilatata striking a pose.

Super Science!

How It Works is an amazing science magazine that embraces all areas of science with really awesome eye catching diagrams and photographs. An ideal magazine for the school library, KS2 and upwards, as well as being a great read with your family at home. This month they are running an article on deadly venom and have investigated invertebrates alongside vertebrates. A great resource with fun and fabulous coverage of all that is scientific. Get reading! http://www.howitworksdaily.com/
If you fancy more hands on science there is the Big Bang Fair being held at the NEC in Birmingham from 15th to 17th March. A truly incredible day out (15th - 16th are for school groups only, families on the 17th), hands on experiences with a huge range of activities and the chance to chat with some of the UKs leading scientific talent. Be inspired! www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/home.cfm
National Science & Engineering Week is 9th to 18th of March 2012. Spear headed by the British Science Association, this is a nation wide science event encouraging schools and the home schooling community to take part in practical science activities to challenge and enthuse children. Great opportunity to explore science with your class or child. Log in to find events or upload your own. Get practical! http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/NSEW/index.htm

How it Works Magazine -making science fun!

 

Empathy.

I have just received a rather lovely email from a friend who inquired about our family and our 'zoo'.  Gerald Durrell's wonderful book title 'My family and other animals' came to mind. As a child I was constantly pestering to be taken to zoos and museums, our local zoo being Banham Zoo www.banhamzoo.co.uk  and I would go to each individual enclosure not wanting to leave until I had read about, and seen, each occupant. I personally believe good zoos do have a place in our society. Every child I have spoken to knows what a Meerkat is and will happily launch into 'Compare zee market dot com, compare zee Meerkat dot com. Simples'. The amazing power of media and catchy lines! However they do now know what a Meerkat actually is and besides extremely valuable breeding programs, zoos provide education, research and a living reference for all of us. If we do not see first hand a creature that our actions might be detrimentally affecting in the wild elsewhere in the world, how do we feel any passion for it or a need to change our actions? Zoos give us the opportunity to experience the creatures we share this planet with and to hopefully enable us to feel an empathy with them. When I go into a school or am part of an event, I am a Keeper as far as the children are concerned and I let them walk through the bars to experience the occupants first hand. It is the minute detail they pick on; the exoskeleton that rises like thorns on a thorax or the breathing hole of a snail. They experience a wonder and hopefully they take this away with them. Perhaps they will think twice about dropping litter or throwing stones at the ducks in the park. Perhaps they will just have a little more respect for what is around them and in the world they live in. Sometimes it is the child's view that can change the parents. I know lots of adults who have over come their tobacco addiction only because of their children's pestering. Now it is getting warmer, get out and go to your local zoo or wildlife park. Take the family and read those information signs, read them to those that can't. Stay long enough to see the occupant before you move on and point it out to everyone in your group. Look at what it is doing, its colour, its shape, how it moves and what it eats. Use the experience for what it is - a unique opportunity to actually see some of the incredible creatures you share your world with and in turn share that with your family. Make it a great day out!


 We hope that there will be fireflies and glow-worms at night to guide you and butterflies in hedges and forests to greet you.
 We hope that there will still be the extraordinary varieties of creatures sharing the land of the planet with you to enchant you and enrich your lives as they have done for us.
 We hope that you will be grateful for having been born into such a magical world.
                                                                                                                Written in 1988 by Gerald Durrell
                                                                                                                                                www.durrell.org



 
                                                                                                                 

Saddle up!

The satisfaction of seeing a complete life cycle is immense! Back in the archived blogs I mention beetles and their grubs - now we have cocoons and shiny new beetles. The Saddle Beetles, Pachnoda marginata peregrina are the first to emerge. A really fantastic little African fruit beetle with striking brown and yellow markings on its elytra (wing cases). They are very active, feeding and mating with the occasional noisy flights up to the top. Great to see them and in huge numbers too - flushed with success!

Beautifully crafted cocoon made from droppings and substrate, wrapped around the beetle pupa.

Newly emerged beetles are very hungry!

Spring in the air.....

What a beautiful day! I have been out on a bug hunt with a fantastic group of energetic children. When I left home this morning in a pea souper of dense fog, I must admit I was thinking we are being far too optimistic, especially this early in the year. I was wrong. The sun burnt its way through, the temperature went up, the birds started to sing and the air filled with the undeniable sound of buzzing. The children were absolutely ecstatic at being outside and they really pulled out all the stops! Great fun was had by all, but the clear favorites of the day were the Seven-Spot Ladybirds, Coccinella septempunctata. A brilliant ladybird out of its over wintering to make the most of a fine day. It has a hard elytra (wing case) in an iconic bright red colour with six black spots and the seventh spread over the elytra junction. It is a native species and one that really captures the children imagination- we even sung the rhyme all the way back to class! For those of you who are on a slightly higher academic level, when we give a newly identified species  its latin name, the idea is to tell you a little about the creature itself. In this case septem means 'seven' and punctus means 'spot'. People often ask me why do we use latin at all. The reason is because its universal. Wherever you are in the world and whatever language you speak, the latin name always remains the same, regardless of what the local common name may be. That way we all know what we are talking about!

Ladybird, ladybird fly away home.......

Hazel Catkins full of pollen  - look out for the first bumble bees feeding on the Pussy Willows as they start to flower.

An Excellent Experience. . . .

The great thing about a child being a member of the Amateur Entomologists' Society's Bug Club www.amentsoc.org/bug-club/   is the opportunities that arise. You do not have to be Gifted and Talented, you just need to have a passion for invertebrates. If you are a parent or teacher of a child who shows a distinct interest in this subject then I strongly recommend you look into membership. As your child is a minor, the great thing is that they will need to be accompanied by an adult and you then get to have some great experiences too! Recently the AES Bug Club held a Young Entomologists' Day at the Oxford University Natural History Museum www.oum.ox.ac.uk/ and everyone had a really fantastic day. There were a whole host of activities going on from microscopy, handling live invertebrates, behind the scenes tours, pinning and pointing workshops let alone wandering around the stunning museum itself. The children get to meet the staff, be inspired by them and have the privilege of entering the moth ball infused, secret hallows that hide behind a museums corridor doors. The experts available to talk and teach that day where, amongst others, Darren Mann, Assistant Curator of the Entomology Department and Hillery Warner, Specimen Preparator of the Entomology Department in the London Natural History Museum www.nhm.ac.uk/ . Children learn so much through experience and that keeps their learning alive.

Sent to Prison!

I love what I do! I get to teach, enthuse and delight. I help some people overcome their fears and others to see close up for the first time, a creature they did not know even existed. I get to meet loads of interesting people, explore behind the closed doors in museums and collections as well as help out practically. I am always learning so much from others and even get to go out to some exotic locations. Best of all I can share my passion for invertebrates with my family and anyone I meet. It was a first for me though, to be sent to prison! Luckily for me they did not throw away the key! I recently did a Bug Roadshow Event at the Oxford Castle Unlocked www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk/ a Saxon Tower that became a prison in 1071 until 1996. It was great fun, a brilliant attraction and I met loads of fantastic people including the very lovely staff. ( Highly recommend a guided tour on your own or with the kids - superb experience!). I have a genuine affection for all of my invertebrates and it never ceases to amuse me how people react to that fact. There has been very little study, if any, done into the distinct individual characters of invertebrates but I can reliably tell you they are most certainly individuals. They also respond to handling and become rather tame. I do have favorites, I will admit, and even within the same species certain individuals stand out from others in character. A successful day for me is when people go beyond their initial reaction of fear or disgust and are instead awed and enthralled. We should appreciate invertebrates, without them we as a species, might as well throw away the key to life!

Great place to park the kids!

Phil Mercer from Radio Oxford getting to know Linda the Leaf Insect Phyllium philippinicum.

Entomologists in the making!

Really fantastic day, yet again, at the Amateur Entomologists' Society's Bug Club  www.amentsoc.org/bug-club/ Young Entomologists' Day hosted by the Oxford University Natural History Museum www.oum.ox.ac.uk/ . Thirteen children took part from 7 to 14 years old and presented a series of extremely interesting talks on invertebrates. The topics varied from Ladybirds to Cockroaches and from Glow Worms to Tarantulas. It was truly inspiring to see these children individually take their place at the front of a packed lecture theatre and talk confidently about their chosen subject. After each talk the child then fielded a selection of questions posed by members of the audience. Their scope of knowledge on their chosen subjects was exceptional. I was impressed by the level of work, both research and ICT skills, these children had put into their presentations and they all deserve an upstanding ovation! A very BIG well done to all of you!

An impressive group of brilliant young people, all of whom deserve admiration for their presentations.

Show time......

Get ready for some great entomological shows coming up. They kick off on April 1st (no joke!) with the Newark/Midlands Entomological Fair at the Grove Leisure Centre in Newark NG243AL. There will be loads of amazing stands there with invertebrates for sale, equipment and friendly factual advice to help the amateurs as well as the experts. If you are in the area go along and if you are slightly further away it is worth the journey.....

A Malay Ghost Grasshopper, Aularches milliaris a really superb species.

Have a go kids!

Here is a great date for your diary.....11th February 2012. This is the Young Entomologists' Day at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. www.oum.ox.ac.uk/ It is open to any child under the age of 18 who can present a short talk on anything related to the invertebrate world and is organized by the Amateur Entomologists' Society's Bug Club www.amentsoc.org/events/listings/0518/  ( Read loads more about the AES and Bug Club in archived blogs). It is the most fantastic opportunity for children to exercise their public speaking skills, research abilities and have some real fun too. As well as the talks there are bug handling sessions, behind the scenes tours and a drawing workshop guided by wildlife artists Clare Newman and Cath Hodsman. Why not have a look at the link and enter your child, or if you are a teacher, suggest it to anyone you think might benefit from the experience. It truly is a fantastic day and a must for any budding young entomologist. Go on kids, have a go!

Stick Insect, Cockroach and Land Snail - all great invertebrate topics!