Backyard Biodiversity

Presented by Mike Bowie, this family event will show you how to attract native birds, lizards and insects to your garden.

Challenge Mike by bringing along an invertebrate (insect, bug etc.) you have found in your garden for him to identify.

Mike will demonstrate how to increase the native biodiversity in your garden, section or farm through the use of specific plants, planting designs and refugia. He will also outline ideas for projects that children could undertake or assist with.

Now retired, Mike was an entomologist at Lincoln University for over 30 years. He worked on many ecological restoration projects including Quail Island, Mahoe Reserve and Te Ara Kakariki (Greenway Canterbury Trust). He has written many publications in the fields of entomology and ecological restoration, including co-authoring “Backyard Biodiversity in Canterbury”.