Earth Care Book Club Discussion

Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse by Dave Goulson
11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, 2026
Little Sanctuary

Butterflies and moths (a.k.a. baby bird food). Pollinators like bees and flies. Beetles (including lady bugs). Praying mantids. Fireflies. Dragonflies and damselflies.  

These are all among the millions of insects, the “little things that run the world” as E. O. Wilson liked to say, that populate our world. Insects pollinate our plants, convert plant matter into animal matter, help decompose dead plants and animals, and work tirelessly to keep our plant and animal populations stable.

Scientists have started noting a very troubling change in insect populations, though—major declines across the world, even in “nature preserves.” For a personal example, when was the last time you had to clean your windshield in the summer? When I first started driving, I had to clean it every single time I filled up with gas. Now I can’t remember the last time I had to clean it.

To help us learn more about the ongoing changes in insect populations, we chose Dave Goulson’s Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse to read for our March 1st Book Club meeting. Goulson is a professor of biology in Great Britain who has published more than 300 articles on bumblebees and other insects, particularly noting their ecology and conservation.

In Silent Earth, Goulson discusses why insects matter, what we know about the insect declines that are being noticed and, most importantly, what we can do to help arrest or even reverse these declines.

Come join us as we learn about the fascinating world of insects and about how we can each, personally, help ensure their survival. 

-Cynthia Abbott