14 November 2024

Winter Lecture: Bristol’s Bugs

Discover more about Bristol’s bugs in November’s Winter Lecture with museum professional and entomologist Ray Barnett.

The Avon Gorge, spanned by the Clifton Suspension Bridge, is probably the most famous landmark in Bristol.  Visited by tourists and locals alike, some may be aware that it is home to unique and rare plants including the Bristol Rockcress, Bristol Onion and Bristol Whitebeam which make it a mecca for students of botany.  Less well known is that the Gorge, Downs and Leigh Woods have been studied by entomologists for over 200 years and are home to a fascinating variety of  creepy crawlies, from underground spiders to predacious snakeflies.

Together with other green oases across the city, the site can show us how our invertebrate populations are changing in response to climate change and how we should celebrate the smaller things in life.

Speaker: Ray Barnett is a museum professional and entomologist. Ray has almost 40 years’ experience in the museum sector and until 2022 was the Head of Collections and Archives for Bristol City Council’s Culture & Creative Industries. In this role, Ray was responsible for the collections at Bristol Archives, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, M Shed, The Red Lodge Museum, The Georgian House Museum, Blaise Museum and Kings Weston Roman Villa as well as the archivists, curators, conservators, environmental recorders and learning specialists that work across these sites.

Ray also specialises in British lepidoptera, hemiptera and coleoptera and plays an active role in the world of bugs. Amongst other positions, he is the Senior Vice-president of the British Entomological and Natural History Society (BENHS), a Council member and Archivist to the Bristol Naturalists’ Society and Convener of the Bristol Moth Group. Ray has also published widely and is the joint author of ‘Butterflies of the Bristol Region,’ ‘Moths of the Bristol Region, ‘ Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Bristol Region, ‘ Geological Sites of the Bristol Region ‘.

How to take part

Thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives , this season’s Winter Lectures will be held in person at M Shed and online via Zoom.

If you are attending in-person, please arrive 15 minutes before the advertised start time to take your seat. Parking in the area can be difficult so you may want to allow extra time to find a space if you are driving to the venue.

If you are attending online, this lecture will take place over Zoom. Details of how to join the session will be in your registration email.

Please note, this lecture will not be recorded unless specified above.

Book tickets

Tickets are ‘pay what you can’.

Please select whether you require an ‘online’ or an ‘in-person’ ticket when you book.

All funds raised support the work of Bristol Museums.

Book now