Dr Ian Bedford – aka the bug man – has been fascinated by insects and other invertebrates for most of his life and on 2nd March 2023, he came to talk to Fowlmere and Thriplow Gardening club about his lifelong work with butterflies.
Ian started out as an Amateur Entomologist, studying and conserving butterflies on the South Downs. He went on to pursue a professional career as an entomologist. For over 42 years undertook plant science research at the John Innes Centre (one of the UK’s leading research centres), where he became Head of the Entomology Department. Now retired, he continues to promote entomology and the environment through a wide range of public engagement activities.
His talk about butterflies was beautifully illustrated with superb slides and filled with expert information and knowledge. It covered why butterflies are important indicators of the health of the environment. He showed us what a butterfly is and how to distinguish one from a moth. He talked about how many of the 58 species native to Britain are in serious decline. And how these butterflies are coping with global warming. And lastly how we can help butterflies survive by attracting them to our gardens and so provide a link between specialist butterflies preservation sites.
Ian left us with a sobering thought, that we can only do our little bit to help the environment. But that that little bit was important and to that end he left us with 3 tips – we should.
- Make our gardens more butterfly (and insect) friendly. We should plant pollinator species that are drought tolerant and consider grasses as important sources for food and breeding.
- Use insect friendly alternatives to pesticides.
- Check that the plants we buy from garden centres have not been sprayed with chemicals.
If you are interested in further information, try www.greengardener.co.uk
Rosemary Jones
