News

Buzzing bugs and budding entomologists

It wasn’t just bugs and moths buzzing around the light on Ōtari’s Troup Lawn on April 25. Budding young entomologists were also buzzing on the first night of the City Nature Challenge 2025. They stayed incredibly focused, and found heaps of bugs for the grown-up entomologists, William Brockelsby and Shaun Thompson to identify. More than 60 parents, grandparents, kids and other keen beans joined the search for bugs, moths, spiders, weta, glowworms and much more - as Wellington vies for the global city with the most native species identified on iNaturalist in one weekend. See City Nature Challenge 2025

Posted: 26 April 2025

Seminars are done - guided walks are still on the menu

Our 2025 series was as informative and popular as ever. Many new faces were welcomed among Trust regulars and they were treated to fascinating insights from our guest entomologists, botanists, biologists and conservation research scientists.

Several Guided Walks are yet to run. These include the Heritage of Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush (April 13), an introduction to Wellington’s most common native plants, with Te Papa Botany Curator Leon Perrie (May 18), and ‘Otari Essentials’ – an introduction to why so many of New Zealand’s native plants are cared for at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush (May 25). You can book on Eventfinda.co.nz. Trust members are free – for others it’s just $6. Sorry, but Geoff Ridley’s ever-popular walks looking at the Fungi Kingdom of Ōtari are fully booked.

Posted: 7 April 2025

Guided Walks and Global City Nature Challenge

Flies, cicadas, pūriri moths in a putaputaweta, moa, miro, and plants that killed elephants! Our autumn guided walks and seminars have only just begun and already we’re learning so much about the New Zealand natural ecology that is so well represented at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. There’s more to come. Why do entomologists study native flies, how do they know where to find them and would we have nearly so many flowers without these tiny pollinators? Join Te Papa’s Julia Kaspar to uncover the fascinating secrets of flies and the spiders who love them (March 30).

There could be a bit of stabbing going on the following week, when Dr Carol West talks about the plants that can cut, stab or poison to defend themselves (April 6).

We’ve also transferred one of our Sunday guided walks (April 27) to enable participation in this year’s City Nature Challenge, when Wellington vies with cities worldwide to list the most native species on iNaturalist in one weekend. Join entomologist Will Brockelsby on a night time exploration to find the creatures who come out in the dark (April 25, 5pm). For more details check the Visiting Ōtari page.

Posted: 17 March 2025