Virginia Institute for Invertebrates

Small animals, small actions,
big consequences

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The changing landscape in western Virginia offers both challenges and opportunities for learning about and conserving invertebrate biodiversity – the rich abundance of tiny but amazing forms of life that dwell on our hillsides and in our streams. With small animals, small actions can have big consequences.

Latest News

  • VII wins big grant to create Spineless Cave Preserve
    New preserve will protect rare and unique invertebrate animals, and keep their mountain home forested forever. Blacksburg, VA – March 21, 2026 Virginia Institute for Invertebrates (VII), a newly founded scientific organization dedicated to revealing and preserving the hidden biodiversity of animals that lack backbones, today announced that it would receive a $700,000 grant from… Read more: VII wins big grant to create Spineless Cave Preserve
  • The 2025 Shirt Sale Has Begun!
    Sorry, the 2025 shirt sale is now closed. Thanks to all of our supporters for making it a success! It’s time for the Virginia Institute for Invertebrates Year-End Fundraiser, featuring fantastic new shirt designs based on a fresh new image by Richmond artist, Marisa Payne! You can help support our mission by claiming a custom… Read more: The 2025 Shirt Sale Has Begun!
  • Come see us at Hokie BugFest!
    Stop by the VII table at BugFest to pick up some swag, play games, see soil invertebrates, and learn about our efforts in Virginia!
  • Conserving Virginia’s Invertebrate Heritage
    Ben Jantzen had the opportunity to share some thoughts with the public about Virginia’s extraordinary invertebrate heritage in the Lunch and Learn series put on by Sustainable Blacksburg:
  • Habitat Connectivity for the Spineless
    Our friends at Wild Virginia invited us to speak in their excellent speaker series. Be sure to check out other videos in the series after watching our presentation!