Charismatic, “cuddly” animals in Britain are getting a disproportionate share of conservation money, while insects, worms, and other invertebrates are being neglected, according to a new report by the Wildlife Trusts. The group says that insects and other “mini-beasts,” which perform vital roles in the natural world, deserve as much public sympathy and conservation funding as otters and red squirrels. In other insect news, a strain of genetically modified corn that produces its own insecticide, known as Bt, does not appear to harm black swallowtail butterflies in the wild, according to research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Still, the researchers aren’t saying that Bt corn is safe. A highly publicized study last year found that another strain of Bt corn killed monarch butterflies.
