Ireland’s only protected insect stars in new comic to spotlight importance of the bioeconomy

Posted on: 11 July 2025

The latest Beo and Raja comic stars the beautiful Marsh Fritillary butterfly. The comic focuses on the importance of insects with the aim of engaging younger audiences in issues of biodiversity.

Beo, Raja and the Butterfly Effect (made available freely under a Creative Commons Licence, and downloadable here) underlines that insects – many unfairly vilified or at best ignored – are the forgotten link in many ecosystems.

Given that the “butterfly effect” is a theory describing how a seemingly small change in a complex system can kickstart a series of large, unpredictable impacts, the title and lead character are highly appropriate for the subject matter as the core message is that oft-overlooked insects are more important in supporting healthy ecosystem function than initially meets the eye.

In the comic our butterfly star meets other insects like the common wasp (“The bee gets the glory. The wasp gets the swat. I’m not pretty enough. I’m not cute. I work so hard at pest control and pollination all day long and what thanks do I get?”), and helps to spread the word as to their environmental importance, reminding them all of their power, and of how “each tiny wingbeat keeps ecosystems alive.”

An example of the artwork in Beo and Raja's The Butterfly Effect.An example of the comic artwork. Credit: The BioBeo team and collaborators, including biOrbic, UCD, Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Entomological Society. Illustrations by Nathan T Wright.

Prof. Jane Stout, Vice President for Biodiversity and Climate at Trinity College Dublin, President of the Royal Entomological Society for insect science, and an expert in pollination ecology, said: “Insects are the most diverse group of animals on the planet, and yet their importance in ecosystems is vastly underappreciated.

“They use various methods of communication, from visual and chemical to tactile and audio and while we can’t always see or hear them, they are important to healthy ecosystems that underpin the bioeconomy, which uses nature’s cycle – not fossil fuels – to create food, materials and energy. Only a handful of species are problematic to people and many play crucial, beneficial roles; plenty of us have an inkling as to their importance as pollinators, but they are also key pest controllers and nutrient cyclers, and provide food for wild birds and other animals.”

“This comic has been developed to communicate to and engage with a younger audience about the diversity of insects, their connection to Irish culture, and their importance in our bioeconomy, including our food production systems.”

Prof Tom Curran, Prof Catherine Farrell, Dr Máire Nic an Bhaird, Prof Jane Stout and Dr Laoise Ní Chléirigh reading the comic in Trinity's Front Square at the launch of the comic, with bright blue sky and green foliage behind them.Prof Tom Curran, UCD; Prof Catherine Farrell, Trinity; Dr Máire Nic an Bhaird, Maynooth University; Prof Jane Stout, Trinity; and Dr Laoise Ní Chléirigh, Maynooth University, reading the comic in Trinity's Front Square.

The comic was produced as part of a collaboration between researchers at BioBeo, UCD, Trinity and Maynooth University, the BiOrbic Research Ireland Centre for the Bioeconomy and the Royal Entomological Society, with illustrations by Nathan T Wright.

The work fell under the Restoring Biodiversity challenge in the Healthy Ecosystems Pillar, with the aim of strengthening and integrating education and public engagement (EPE) in the research. 

Dr Catherine Farrell, Assistant Professor of Business and Nature in Trinity Business School, and Programme Lead for Business for Biodiversity Ireland, said: “Insects are essential to so many business supply chains, most obvious in terms of crops and food production, but with multiple contributions to so many aspects of our daily lives. The Butterfly Effect highlights this in a simple way: the small things really matter for the future of our society and economy.”  

Dr Máire Nic an Bhaird, Associate Professor in Education at Maynooth University, added: “The layers in this comic are powerful: Douglas Hyde, with deep ties to Trinity and UCD, shows how language, heritage and land are deeply connected; just as he used that connection to revive Irish, we must now foster a love of the land to inspire young climate stewards and support bioeconomy solutions.” 

Dr Laoise Ní Chléirigh, Assistant Professor in Education at Maynooth University, said: We are also publishing a version in the Irish language – a minority language where traditional ecological knowledge is deeply rooted, supporting both cultural and environmental continuity.”

Tom Curran, Associate Professor in UCD’s School of Biosystems and Food Engineering added: "This was a very enjoyable transdisciplinary collaboration between ecology, education and engineering, which showed the benefits of integrating different perspectives in highlighting the importance of insects in our world.”

Media Contact:

Thomas Deane | Media Relations | deaneth@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 4685