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.