I had a choice of three meetings to go to tonight, an Editors' Association of Canada monthly meeting, a Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission meeting, and the Invertebrates at Risk presentation at the Fraser River Discovery Centre in conjunction with the Douglas College Institute of Urban Ecology.
Seeing as I attended an EAC workshop last weekend, and have been to several Burnaby-related meetings recently, I chose the bug talk.
It was presented by Jennifer Heron, an entomologist who works for the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection as an Invertebrate Species at Risk Specialist. She is also known as The Bug Lady, and runs a bug museum in New Westminster and provides educational services. Check out her websites at:
www.thebuglady.com
www.thebuglab.com
Here are a few notes I took at the presentation (any mistakes in stats are mine :-).
There are about 50,000 - 70,000 species of invertebrates in BC.
There are 1,138 vertebrates
There are 2,790 vascular plants
Of the invertebrates, over 40,000 are insects.
There are about 195 species of butterflies, of which about 75 are endangered.
Burns Bog alone has over 4,000 insects of which 9 species have been identified as being very rare.
She emphasized that riparian zones along rivers and creeks are particularly attractive to plants and animals.
Ways insects become endangered: They're considered to be pests. They are hit by pollution runoff. Their habitats become fragmented by development. Areas of old-growth forest have been shrinking dramatically and continue to do so. Dykes and draining have destroyed wetlands. Use of agricultural and gardening pesticides. Replacement of native plants with non-native ornamental plants.
What can we do to attract insects? Have a variety of little habitats in your garden or on your balcony. Have an assortment of flowers and flowering plants that flower at different times throughout the year to attract pollinators. Have some sunny spots -- flying insects usually need temperatures of at least 12C to become active. Have plants that provide food for larvae and flowers that provide nectar to support butterflies throughout their life cycle. Have pools, birdbaths etc. She discounted the danger of West Nile (mosquitoes breed in standing water), saying only 1% of mosquito species carry it, and of those only 1% may be infected.
It was an interesting talk, and I think I'll check out her bug museum.
P.S. Byrne Creek Streamkeepers will be starting our annual early spring bug count this weekend, weather permitting. If you'd like to join in the fun, email the bug crew to get dates and times.
Posted by Paul at February 18, 2004 09:10 PM