Patrice Bouchard looking for beetles on trees at night with a headlamp

Beetles are remarkably adaptable and beautiful creatures found almost everywhere on earth. Incredibly visually diverse ­with nearly 400,000 described species – compared for example to some 5,500 mammal species or 6,500 amphibian species – they make up more than one-fifth of all known life forms on this planet!

Our guest speaker Patrice Bouchard, a Research Scientist with Entomology, Ottawa Research and Development Centre with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, will show us how beetles are both an ally and an adversary for our crops, forests and natural ecosystems.

His richly illustrated presentation will explore recent research results in Canada and beyond, with a brief summary of two beetle book projects aimed at a broad audience.