Have you ever wondered why plants smell? Or how you can help hedgehogs and insects thrive in your own garden? On Thursday 1st 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” with 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 can also find out about the University’s bees and taste some of their honey, and book free tickets for three fascinating talks about local wildlife:
1.30-2pm “Insects” A general overview of the wonderful biodiversity of insects, and how important they are to us and nature
2.30-3pm “Hedgehogs“: How we can help them to thrive in our gardens
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!