Have you ever wondered why plants smell? Or how you can help hedgehogs and insects thrive in your own garden? On Thursday 1^st June, the Cole Museum is welcoming the public to a series of free talks and events as part of  Wild About Reading; a 3 day event celebrating nature across Reading. We will have some fun drop-in activities such as “Interesting Insects” where we will have examples from our entomology collections, and “why do plants smell?” where you can guess the plant from its smell… watch out, some of them might be a bit stinky! You will also be able to find out about the University’s bees and taste some of their honey, and in the afternoon we are having three fascinating talks about local wildlife which can be booked here:

1.30-2pm “Hedgehogs”: How we can help them to thrive in our gardens

2.30-3pm “Insects”: A general overview of the wonderful biodiversity of insects, and how important they are to us and nature

3.30-4pm “Pollination”: Find out how pollinators and plants interact and adapt, and draw your own designs for perfect pollinators

And once you’ve chatted to our scientists, why not have an explore of our fantastic museum! We will be there all day if you want to pick our brains!

We also have a few Cole Museum mementos to purchase from either the café which is open until 3.30pm, or from us in the museum. All proceeds and donations go towards keeping our wonderful museum running. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more details on Wild About Reading and to book events, see the website Home | Wild About Reading (wildaboutrg.com)