The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s AMI-trap features on the Royal Entomological Society (RES) garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week. The garden, designed by Tom Massey and supported by Project Giving Back, shows how remarkable and valuable insects are and allows insect study to take place in the unique outdoor laboratory at the heart of the garden.
The UKCEH AMI-trap features alongside the laboratory and will monitor moths visiting the garden. The AMI-trap combines computer vision and an autonomous imaging system to capture images of moths in the field, locate them in the image, and classify them to species. Throughout the week the garden will host more than 100 school children engaging with the ways in which to monitor and learn about insects. In addition, the show expects to attract an estimated 168,000 visitors.
The garden’s outdoor laboratory offers an ‘insect eye view’ and a space in which to study. A moveable screen links to microscopes in the lab, giving the opportunity to show enlarged insects at magnified scale, revealing their fascinating morphology and offering opportunities for education. The lab’s 7m wide roof structure is inspired by an iridescent insect eye made up of hundreds of hexagonal panels. Its walls provide habitat panels permeable to insects. During the week of the show the lab will be used for scientific research, monitoring, and studying insects visiting the garden.
For further information about the RES garden visit www.royentsoc.co.uk/chelsea/