A Bug's Life: Tales of the Newfoundland and Labrador Insect (1833-2019)

On Wednesday, September 18, Memorial University Libraries, Boulder Books and The Canadian Museum of Nature present an evening showcasing two exceptional books about the insects of this province, as well as the experts who are passionate about them. 

Entomologia Terrae Novae, recognized as the first attempt to classify and illustrate the insect fauna of Newfoundland, returns to Newfoundland for the first time since 1835. This remarkable unpublished manuscript, on loan from the Canadian Museum of Nature, contains some 250 exquisite paintings of insects by amateur naturalist Philip Henry Gosse.

Stouts, Millers, and Forky-Tails: Insects of Newfoundland and Labrador by Tom Chapman, Peggy Dixon, Carolyn Parsons, and Hugh Whitney, is the first field guide to the insects of this province. It drew inspiration from Gosse’s work and was recently published by Boulder Books.

Join speakers Elizabeth Smith, Acquisitions and Cataloguing Officer, Research and Collections with the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, and Tom Chapman, Biology Department Head with Memorial University, co-author of Stouts, Millers, and Forky-Tails: Insects of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Special guests include Maddie Roche, performer, (with choreography by Clea Chapman), Graham Blair, printmaker, Colleen Quigley, Archives and Special Collections, and Colleen Field, Centre for Newfoundland Studies

This public event is from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, QEII Library, 3rd Floor. Light refreshments will be served.

*Entomologia Terrae Novae will be on display in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies on Sept 19 and 20.