The Insect Festival was fantastic. I've never heard of it until this year but I want to go again next time it's on!
There were lots of exhibitors at the festival - nature and conservation charities and societies mostly but also some bug related scientists and businesses and nature book sellers too. Buglife and OPAL both had displays featuring Tansy beetles. These beetles are only found along a stretch of the River Ouse in York and (aside from one isolated sighting in the Fens last year) that's the whole UK population. I believe this species is threatened worldwide.
I was able to hold this Madagascan hissing cockroach...
One stand had what at first glance looked like cases of dead insects, but on closer inspection were revealed to be insects created out of natural materials. My photo doesn't show them well at all and to be honest, the photos on the creator's website really don't do these creations justice at all - they were fantastic - but you can see the sort of thing he does on the website - http://insectcreator.com/page_3175103.html
I also held this African rainbow millipede
I picked up all sorts of bug related literature and also bought a book about grasshoppers and one about shieldbugs! Once I'd seen all the stands I had a wander outside to see the beetles in the Tansy beetle bed...
There were about 5 adult Tansy beetles plus lots of larvae at various stages.
I spotted this fly too (as well as other small beetles and ladybird larvae) which I think is a kind of sawfly - Arge cycnocrocea - or Bramble Sawfly.
I probably wasn't really allowed to (though nothing said 'don't touch'!), but I picked up a Tansy beetle. I might never see one again so I wanted a proper look!
Obviously, I only kept it for a minute, then I deposited it safely back on the Tansy...
It was a brilliant day - I learned things, I have lots to read at home and I saw some fantastic art as well as getting close to a few insects too! I was pleased to see so many people attending - and lots of children / families too. There was loads of bug hunting going on in the museum grounds so it's a brilliant family event and I can highly recommend a trip to the next one, which I think will be in 2017 as it seems to be every other year.
Further details about Insect Fest can be found here - http://www.royensoc.co.uk/events/insect-festival-2015 and from that link you can also view the programme if you're interested in finding out about the exhibitors that attended.
Further information about Tansy beetles...
Tansy Beetle Hub - Buglife:
BBC News - saving North Yorkshire's beetle (May 2015):
BBC News - Cambridgeshire Fens sighting (August 2014):
Oh the tansy beetle is just beautiful! I love it, and what a shame it is so endangered!
ReplyDeleteI have to say though, I was inwardly screaming at the millipede and hissing cockroach!x
A wonderful day out, there would be NO WAY that cockroach would be sitting on my hand, we lived next door to a paper mill and had them in the house when we were kids, we had to check the beds on a night before we got in !!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Tansy beetle is beautiful though...
Amanda xx
Great post, super photos. Beautiful colours on that Tansy Beetle.
ReplyDeletesounds like you had a great day, but then Yorkshire and insects are a hard combination to better ;-)
ReplyDelete