Championing the Overlooked

Storytelling on behalf of the unnoticed many-legged things quietly keeping ecosystems running

Insects are extraordinary, and hardly anyone gives them a second look. That is the bit I want to change. Most of my outreach is just getting people to stop and notice the small things going on under every leaf and log, through iNaturalist, a community BioBlitz, and the odd talk. It is a true joy to share this stuff, and people tend to care about what they have actually seen.

St Andrews Botanic Garden BioBlitz

16 May 2026 · Royal Entomological Society Student Outreach Grant

With a Royal Entomological Society Student Outreach Grant, I spent six months planning a community BioBlitz, "Insects of the St Andrews Botanic Garden", and ran it over a single day. Naturalists, families, and passers-by together logged close to 400 observations across roughly 200 species, around half already research-grade thanks to 87 volunteer identifiers.

The evening brought a bat walk, and amphibians and snails flushed out by the rain that grounded the moth trap — which, after ninety minutes of optimism, yielded one very committed moth.

~400

Observations

~200

Species

87

Identifiers

Participants recording biodiversity at St Andrews Botanic Garden
Plate IX — BioBlitz participants, 2026
BioBlitz event flyer — 16 May 2026, St Andrews Botanic Garden
Plate X — Event flyer
BioBlitz event details flyer
Plate XI — Event details
Jakob Wiil at the identification station during BioBlitz
Plate XII — At the identification station

Telling the stories

Beyond iNaturalist and the BioBlitz, I try to say yes to as much outreach as I can: careers talks, conference sessions, school and public events, hands-on workshops, and more. It is a true joy to share this work, and the aim is always the same, getting people excited about nature and science. If you are after a speaker, or want a hand putting on an event, I would love to hear from you.

Jakob Wiil giving the Kyndelmisse speech at Rybners Gymnasium, Esbjerg
Plate XIV — Kyndelmisse, Rybners, 2026

Start recording

You do not need any special equipment. Download iNaturalist, step outside, and photograph what you find. Every observation matters.

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