Minibeast Safaris

Wednesday, August 25th 2021

Today was all about invertebrates at Foxglove. It began very early as volunteers emptied the moth traps that had been left out overnight. Then, later in the morning Entomologists Dr Roger and Rosie Key arrived to lead several 'family bubble' minibeast safaris. 

In the past, these events have been held as one safari for a large group but this year due to extra covid 19 measures, there were several small parties instead. This meant that everyone had an opportunity to discuss their finds in more detail.

There were a couple of exciting discoveries; this Longhorn Beetle was first recorded at the reserve on the 14th of June 2017. The confirmed sighting was the most northerly record for VC65 at the time. 

There was a chance to learn about the specialist equipment used in Entomology such as sweep nets that are moved through the vegetation to catch all of the 'creepy crawlies' lurking there!

Dr Roger Key demonstrated the best way to search the contents of the net without letting the bugs and insects escape!

Thank you to everyone who joined in with this special event and to Dr Roger Key and Rosie who never cease to amaze us with their vast knowledge of the macro world!

If you would like to learn more about wildlife then have a look at our events page to see what is in the pipeline. On Bank Holiday monday next week there will be a celebration of all things bee with our first ever 'Bee Happy Day'! There will be all kinds of hands on activities such as making a candle from beeswax, creating wildflower seed bombs and a 'Bee identification trail' around the red route.

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