Kim Pullen ‘More treasures–insects in fens and bogs’

Kim will discuss bogs and fens as an insect habitat, the variety of ecological niches that insects occupy and some threats to the fauna. She will give some local examples of the fauna of this habitat.

Biography

Kim grew up in Canberra and inherited an interest in nature, and particularly insects, from his father who was a professional botanist (and a boyhood butterfly and beetle collector). On leaving school he worked first at the ANU, and later at CSIRO, assisting with research in grasshopper genetics, pheromone-based control of insect pests, and insect-based biological control of imported weeds. Kim then spent six years in Mexico collecting and evaluating weed biocontrol agents for exportation to Australia – as well as teaching English – before returning to Canberra with a family. He eventually came back to CSIRO to assist with faunal studies in South Australian mallee and subsequently on Murray River floodplains, and prepare a taxonomic inventory of Australian weevils, among other projects.

After retirement, he took up a CSIRO Honorary Fellowship, allowing access to the Australian National Insect Collection. This helped Kim carry out a long-running ambition to compile a catalogue of the insects of the ACT. He now enjoys identifying insects for the general public on citizen science platforms and on social media (when their grandchildren allow it).

Booking Link – https://www.trybooking.com/DHLQK

Booking
Lunchtime talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and we thank all those who have donated.

Unless otherwise indicated, talks are held in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly.  Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached.

The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Many summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au.