Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs feat. Margie Patlak

Join award-winning nature writer Margie Patlak as she takes you on a wonder-filled insect safari of common bugs that you can find wherever there are green spaces. With her closeup photographs, she’ll showcase the beauty of everyday bugs and talk about their surprising capabilities, including using tools, farming, doing math, recognizing themselves in mirrors, and navigating by starlight.

She’ll also give you tips on how to find insects, and help you overcome any fears you might have of them. Her presentation will be followed by a short talk about the iNaturalist app that you can use to identify any bugs you see. You don’t need to travel the globe to find extraordinary creatures because they’re hiding in plain sight in your own backyard!

Margie Patlak is a science and nature writer, memoirist, and photographer. Her memoir More Than Meets the Eye: Exploring Nature and Loss on the Coast of Maine was published by Down East Books/Rowman and Littlefield and given an “Outstanding Book” award by the American Society of Journalists and Authors in 2022.  Her photo book Wild and Wondrous: Nature’s Artistry on the Coast of Maine was also published by Down East Books/Rowman and Littlefield in July of 2023. Her most recent book Insect Safari: Exploring the Wondrous World of Everyday Bugs will be published by Workman/Hachette in June of 2026.