Guest speaker, OFF member Liz Cameron, spoke on the wonderful and often secret world of insects. Liz shared her extensive knowledge, passion and enthusiasm on insects including bugs, beetles, butterflies and bees as well as lesser known species such as parasitoids. She shared many local photos of various insects and explained the importance of insects in the food chain.
Liz’s talk highlighted the importance of preserving and improving biodiversity by planting many different species of plants and protecting existing ones. She showed the beauty of insects – even caterpillars and suggested a better alternative to killing all the insects damaging our plants would be to just to kill a few and ensure both the plants and insects survive and thrive.
This presentation can be viewed on OFF’s YouTube channel here (with sub-titles).
Promo
OFF member Liz Cameron is a retired biologist interested in all fauna and flora. She will illustrate some common and some less familiar insects and describe their roles in the environment. Insects comprise over 80% of terrestrial species on Earth, including bees, ants, butterflies, grasshoppers, and beetles, among many others. and drive the production of essential seeds, fruits, and vegetables via pollination, and are necessary decomposers of organic matter.
They also provide invaluable ecosystem services that extend beyond pollination, by providing biological control of pests, and acting as bio-indicators of healthy streams and soils. Insects form the base of complex ecological food webs in agricultural, natural, and urban areas, shaping the appearance, beauty and complexity of these diverse landscapes.
If you know the insects and maintain biodiversity in your garden, you may not need to use pesticides. Learn more about creatures in local gardens and bushland. You are welcome to bring photos of unknown insects; Liz will try to identify them at the conclusion of the meeting.