Boston Flora

Tag: Avalon Owens

  • Tuesday, January 28, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – Impacts of Artificial Light on Insects, Online

    The Massachusetts Pollinator Network hosts monthly presentations by experts in a wide range of topics related to pollinators and how to support them. These are recorded. We welcome everyone, whether you are a seasoned community organizer, a home gardener, researcher, teacher, work in the field already, or are new to pollinator protection concerns. Please join us! On January 28 at 7 pm meet Dr. Avalon Owens, who will speak on the Impacts of Artificial Light on Insects. The Zoom program link will be sent upon registration HERE

  • Thursday, May 11, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Eastern – Lights Out for Fireflies and Other Insects, Online

    Insect populations around the world are declining rapidly. But why? While habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change all have something to do with it, Dr. Avalon C.S. Owens of The Rowland Institute at Harvard will show in this talk that light pollution is another important — but too often overlooked — bringer of the insect apocalypse. Light pollution interferes with the development, movement, foraging, and reproduction of diverse insect species, including many that we know and love such as fireflies. Fortunately, there are many simple things that we can all do to help reverse this driver of insect declines. Light pollution can be cheaply, easily, and instantly eliminated, and doing so can help ensure that we live in harmony with our insect friends and neighbors for generations to come. Dr. Avalon C.S. Owens (owenslab.org) received her Ph.D. in Biology from Tufts University in spring 2022, where she studied the impact of artificial light on bioluminescent fireflies. She also holds a B.A. in Integrative Biology from Harvard University and an M.S. in Entomology from National Taiwan University.

    This Xerces Society webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

    Click here for more information and to register.

  • Tuesday, April 9, 7:30 pm – Strangers in the Night: Has Light Pollution Led to Firefly Declines

    The Cambridge Entomological Club’s April meeting will take place Tuesday, April 9 at 7:30 pm in Room 101 of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology on Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    Why do fireflies flash? Because they want to be seen! But their unique bioluminescent courtship signals can be obscured by street lamps, house lights, and other sources of nighttime light pollution — and if we’re not careful, our lights might extinguish theirs forever. Learn more about the total impact of light pollution on firefly reproduction, and methods whereby fireflies, moths, and other essential members of the nocturnal ecosystem can continue to coexist with humans on this increasingly urbanized planet.

    Avalon Owens is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biology at Tufts University, where she studies the impact of light pollution on North American fireflies. She earned her Masters degree in Entomology from National Taiwan University, and hosts a bilingual educational YouTube channel called INSECT [昆蟲島] ISLAND.

    The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 5:45 PM) at the Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave., Cambridge.