Science Communication

Engaging with people and talking about soil biodiversity is the most rewarding aspect of my career. Below are summaries of a few of my recent SciComm activities - if you have an opportunity you’d like to discuss please feel free to contact me. I also regularly post macrophotography and interesting soil biodiversity facts on my BlueSky, Mastodon, Threads and Instagram accounts, some highlights of which can be found at the bottom of this page.

Media Appearances

Soil Biodiversity talk for EntoL!VE

I was invited to speak about Soil Biodiversity Monitoring in the UK for The Biological Recording Company’s EntoL!VE talk series. The full talk is watchable above or available on YouTube here.

Podcast: Solid Science

Romy and Carlos wanted to chat about the potential of macrophotography in soil ecology research. You can listen to my episode (#12 ‘The Use of Visual Elements in Ecology’) on Spotify here.

Podcast: BBC Earth

I was asked to talk about the extraordinary diversity in soil on the BBC Earth podcast series. You can listen to my episode (Ep. 3 ‘Death’) by clicking here.

ABC Landline

I featured on ABC’s Landline show, where I describe some of the amazing soil animals that I found during my 2023 macrophotography tour of Australia. Episode viewable here.

BBC Breakfast Live

I joined the BBC breakfast live team and television presenter Michaela Strachan at Westonbirt Arboretum to celebrate the Forestry Commission’s centenary. In multiple live appearances throughout the morning, I promoted the importance of biological recording and the role of earthworms in supporting healthy forest ecosystems.

Podcast: Grubbing in the Filth

I was delighted to speak about soil invertebrate ecology and my macrophotography work on the invertebrate-focussed podcast ‘Grubbing in the Filth’. You can listen to my episode by clicking here, and view the photos we discuss here.

ABC Rural News

I featured on ABC’s Rural News, where I describe some of the amazing soil animals that I found during my 2023 macrophotography tour of Australia. News article viewable online here.

Mmmm forbidden candy floss... #SlimeMold #Macrophotography #Fungi
Mmmm forbidden candy floss... #SlimeMold #Macrophotography #Fungi
My favourite personal observation so far in the #CityNatureChallenge is this White Banded House Jumper (Maratus griseus) from University of Canterbury campus yesterday. I didn't know that New Zealand has an introduced species of Peacock spider! Gorg
My favourite personal observation so far in the #CityNatureChallenge is this White Banded House Jumper (Maratus griseus) from University of Canterbury campus yesterday. I didn't know that New Zealand has an introduced species of Peacock spider! Gorgeous wee thing!🕷️ #Arachnology #Spider #Macrophotoraphy
The #CityNatureChallenge is under full swing in Ōtautahi Christchurch! Last night I had loads of enthusiastic junior earthworm hunters helping me sort through soil from around the area! 🪱🪱🪱 See what's on this weekend in the city, and how you can
The #CityNatureChallenge is under full swing in Ōtautahi Christchurch! Last night I had loads of enthusiastic junior earthworm hunters helping me sort through soil from around the area! 🪱🪱🪱 See what's on this weekend in the city, and how you can get involved: www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-otautahi-christchurch/journal #BioBlitz #Entomology #Biodiversity #iNaturalist #Earthworm
What soil invertebrates lack in size, they make up for in attitude and style! There's some stunning colours on this Eupodid mite and Poduromorph springtail, so I've stripped the background colour to let them fully pop! #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophot
What soil invertebrates lack in size, they make up for in attitude and style! There's some stunning colours on this Eupodid mite and Poduromorph springtail, so I've stripped the background colour to let them fully pop! #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #SoilEcology
I'm a bit late to the #InsertAnInvert2024 party, but I come bearing wormy gifts - a selection of common European Lumbricid species! It's week three, with the wormification prompt 'Not long, limbless', so I present a clew of earthworms! And yes, th
I'm a bit late to the #InsertAnInvert2024 party, but I come bearing wormy gifts - a selection of common European Lumbricid species! It's week three, with the wormification prompt 'Not long, limbless', so I present a clew of earthworms! And yes, the collective noun for earthworms is a 'clew' 🪱🪱🪱🪱 #SoilEcology #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography
If New Zealand's 'giant' springtails (Holacanthella sp.) were REALLY giant in size (i.e. not 1 cm long), they'd be the perfect kaiju. Imagine one of these as tall as a skyscraper, battling Godzilla... what monster name would you give it? #Entomolo
If New Zealand's 'giant' springtails (Holacanthella sp.) were REALLY giant in size (i.e. not 1 cm long), they'd be the perfect kaiju. Imagine one of these as tall as a skyscraper, battling Godzilla... what monster name would you give it? #Entomology #SoilEcology #SoilBiodiversity
Inspect a Southern Beech tree in New Zealand and you'll see long wispy hairs emerging, with clear liquid at the tip. This is honeydew, the delicious sugary poo of scale insects feeding on the tree's phloem! This important energy resource supports a
Inspect a Southern Beech tree in New Zealand and you'll see long wispy hairs emerging, with clear liquid at the tip. This is honeydew, the delicious sugary poo of scale insects feeding on the tree's phloem! This important energy resource supports a whole ecosystem, from sooty mould to native bees, and birds like tūī, kākā and bellbirds. Unfortunately, introduced European wasps have taken a big liking to the honeydew and are aggressively displacing many of the native animals - so it's important that wasp control measures are successful! #Entomology #Ecology #Aotearoa
I'm getting #MiteMonday in early today, with this predatory 'snout' mite (family Bdellidae). At only 2 mm in size, it's astonishing just how intricate the details can be on these creatures. I've not seen such scale-like armour and piercing red eyes
I'm getting #MiteMonday in early today, with this predatory 'snout' mite (family Bdellidae). At only 2 mm in size, it's astonishing just how intricate the details can be on these creatures. I've not seen such scale-like armour and piercing red eyes in these before, it's very striking! #Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #Acari
A little peek behind the curtain into my day job... It's been great fun teaching applied entomology to our forestry students this month. Here's some teaching specimen examples of forest insect pests and saprotrophs present in New Zealand. We're al
A little peek behind the curtain into my day job... It's been great fun teaching applied entomology to our forestry students this month. Here's some teaching specimen examples of forest insect pests and saprotrophs present in New Zealand. We're also using bark 'sandwiches' to watch pine bark beetle colonising behaviour. They've already laid eggs, which will soon hatch and dig their own galleries! #Entomology
What do you do when you REALLY wanted antennae, but life hands you an arachnid body plan? You stretch those front legs of course! Linopodes mites have front legs up to SIX TIMES their body length, which they use to sense their environment & find
What do you do when you REALLY wanted antennae, but life hands you an arachnid body plan? You stretch those front legs of course! Linopodes mites have front legs up to SIX TIMES their body length, which they use to sense their environment & find tasty fungi to eat. #Macrophotography #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #MiteMonday
Mmmm forbidden candy floss... #SlimeMold #Macrophotography #Fungi My favourite personal observation so far in the #CityNatureChallenge is this White Banded House Jumper (Maratus griseus) from University of Canterbury campus yesterday. I didn't know that New Zealand has an introduced species of Peacock spider! Gorg The #CityNatureChallenge is under full swing in Ōtautahi Christchurch! Last night I had loads of enthusiastic junior earthworm hunters helping me sort through soil from around the area! 🪱🪱🪱 See what's on this weekend in the city, and how you can What soil invertebrates lack in size, they make up for in attitude and style! There's some stunning colours on this Eupodid mite and Poduromorph springtail, so I've stripped the background colour to let them fully pop! #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophot I'm a bit late to the #InsertAnInvert2024 party, but I come bearing wormy gifts - a selection of common European Lumbricid species! It's week three, with the wormification prompt 'Not long, limbless', so I present a clew of earthworms! And yes, th If New Zealand's 'giant' springtails (Holacanthella sp.) were REALLY giant in size (i.e. not 1 cm long), they'd be the perfect kaiju. Imagine one of these as tall as a skyscraper, battling Godzilla... what monster name would you give it? #Entomolo Inspect a Southern Beech tree in New Zealand and you'll see long wispy hairs emerging, with clear liquid at the tip. This is honeydew, the delicious sugary poo of scale insects feeding on the tree's phloem! This important energy resource supports a I'm getting #MiteMonday in early today, with this predatory 'snout' mite (family Bdellidae). At only 2 mm in size, it's astonishing just how intricate the details can be on these creatures. I've not seen such scale-like armour and piercing red eyes A little peek behind the curtain into my day job... It's been great fun teaching applied entomology to our forestry students this month. Here's some teaching specimen examples of forest insect pests and saprotrophs present in New Zealand. We're al What do you do when you REALLY wanted antennae, but life hands you an arachnid body plan? You stretch those front legs of course! Linopodes mites have front legs up to SIX TIMES their body length, which they use to sense their environment & find