I'm most interested in insects. This started when I was four, after my mother showed me how to raise caterpillars, which she had done as a girl. Her jam jars were never safe after that!

I took insect taxonomy and morphology courses in university. I then worked as a technician rearing bumblebees for four years after graduation. That was decades ago, so I have been updating my taxonomic skills over the last few years since joining iNaturalist.

All arthropods and most invertebrates are of at least some interest, though my expertise is limited. Photographing plants and insects is one of my pastimes. I garden, so fortunately I have numerous opportunities.

Diptera have become my main concentration. Since retirement, I have recently become a volunteer at the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa.

I like to identify Nearctic Conopidae on iNaturalist, plus a fair number of Nearctic and Australasian Dolichopodidae, and a fair variety of other taxa from time to time.