The following presentation is my belated contribution to National Insect Week.
This is a biennial event run by the Royal Entomological Society with the aim of making the public aware of the insects around them, which you would think was an unnecessary endeavour since everyone notices flies and ants at this time of year, but I think I understand where they are coming from. Since starting this blog the insects in the garden have provided useful and interesting copy, from the Naomi Campbell of wasps, and the overburdened hoverfly, to lumbering Billy Witches. Insects are generally scary, icky things - apart from ladybirds, but even they in their Harlequin guise are evil incarnate – but they are fascinating in their diversity and complexity.
Let me make it clear I don’t want them anywhere near me but I do have some sympathy towards them as a class of animal. The health of the natural world rests on them, and as I’ve said before I am concerned about the apparent decline in insect numbers.
But meanwhile my beautiful orange lilies are being decimated by the larvae of lily beetles. I’ve done some research on the buggers, and put it all together in this PowerPoint presentation. Hopefully it will be useful for those of you who may be similarly afflicted. It’s a pretty straight run through of information, think ‘school homework’ standard, so don’t go through it if you’re not interested. However, I enjoyed making it. If there is any other aspect of gardening - plant or animal - let me know and I’ll knock up another.
The information for this report came from the RHS.
The Lily Beetle
