Royal Ontario Museum Blog
Monthly Archive: December
Ladybug, ladybug and more ladybugs
Every fall, there is a period when people see lots of ladybird beetles flying about or congregating. Unlike our native species which are adapted to Canadian winters, the Asian Multicoloured Ladybird Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) cannot survive at temperatures below -5oC and has to find a place to hibernate, usually indoors. They will scout out the best south facing walls of buildings (like here at the ROM) and enter through small gaps.
International Volunteer Managers Day: Meet Ann Macpherson
![Volunteers help kids dig for dinosaur bones in the Hands-On Galleries at the ROM Volunteers help kids dig for dinosaur bones in the Hands-On Galleries at the ROM](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/discoverygallery.jpg?itok=IbYZgSfR)
Behind every great team of volunteers is a Volunteer Manager who ensures that their team reaches their full potential. In honour of International Volunteer Managers Day this November 5th, the ROM turns the spotlight on some of the staff who activate our many fun and exciting volunteer programs.
Meet Ann Macpherson, Assistant Coordinator, Hands-on Galleries. Ann has been managing volunteers for approximately 11 years now. She currently works with more than 200 volunteers within the Hands-On Galleries.
International Volunteer Managers Day: Meet Mark Peck
![Mark Peck, Ornithology Technician Mark Peck, Ornithology Technician](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/peck_profile_0.jpg?itok=lQiUbJGM)
Behind every great team of volunteers is a Volunteer Manager who ensures that their team reaches their full potential. In honour of International Volunteer Managers Day this November 5th, the ROM turns the spotlight on some of the staff who activate our many fun and exciting volunteer programs.
The Sweet Life
![David Rocco David Rocco](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/david_rocco_141120_0123_lores.jpg?itok=k7QnSOjL)
Celebrity Chef David Rocco shares what makes the ROM special to him...
Q: You travel a lot for your work. Do you get a chance to visit the ROM often?
The ROM's Very Own Batman Returns
![the ROM’s very own ‘Batman’, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Dr. Burton Lim. Credit: Vincent Luk The ROM’s very own ‘Batman’, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Dr. Burton Lim with "bat wings" outlined with light in a long exposure photo. Credit: Vincent Luk](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015-09-08_srilanka_vince-3-2.jpg?itok=UNT6bP2W)
ROM Biodiversity (@ROMBiodiversity) was in the fields and forests of Sri Lanka for an intense four weeks between Aug 23 - Sept 19, 2015, completing the first comprehensive survey of bats and other small mammals that live on the island in close to 80 years.
The Ongoing Mystery of the Franklin Expedition
![Ice bergs would have been a frequent sight for the Franklin Expedition crew. Photo by Jeff Dickie A photo of massive ice bergs on the ocean in front of a stormy sky. Photo by Jeff Dickie](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/jeff_dickie_evc-1.jpg?itok=gjNbeZVs)
Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Jeff Dickie
With an excavation recently completed this summer, the mystery of the Franklin Expedition continues... still elusive in her watery grave, what secrets will HMS Erebus finally give up about her ill-fated mission?
#emptyROM - @stilez
Our last set of #emptyROM photos are IN! @stilez on Twitter and Instagram is a well known Toronto photgrapher and we love it every time he comes to shoot the ROM.
Below are a few photos he shared with us from our first #emptyROM tour on August 19th.
#emptyROM - bora.vs.bora
![More #emptyROM photos! (by @wrdodger) Photo of the Royal Ontario Museum looking east towards the rotunda](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/empty-rom_0.jpg?itok=tKpntYi4)
New #emptyROM photos from our friend Bora!
Hopping Their Way to Your Heart
![a toad sits patiently in the hand of a naturalist who holds it out for a young person to explore. Photo by Tallie Garey a toad sits patiently in the hand of a naturalist who holds it out for a young person to explore](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015-06-13-bioblitz_tallie_garey-17-2.jpg?itok=otuNEMUG)
Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Lian Jong
Lian sat down with ROM Herpetology technician Amy Lathrop to get some insight into the museum's vast Natural History collections, in particular, its reptiles and amphibians.
Remembering Mr. Francesco Grosso
![](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/100-popcorncart.jpg?itok=hkJkqMeE)
Many staff, volunteers, and visitors may remember Mr. Francesco Grosso, who was part of ROM life for 45 years as he entertained and captivated young and older audiences at our Queen's Park entrance with his travelling push-cart filled with treasures and treats. Visitors and staff, and more recently their grandchildren, often looked for him and asked after him. We are very sorry to learn of Mr. Grosso's passing last week.