Feature photo by Raelee Sawmiller
By Raelee Sawmiller
BugFest, an annual festival held by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, brings together hundreds of people from all over the country for fun games, information, and an awesome educational experience.
There were over 100 exhibits viewing thousands of different insects, with many hands-on activities to engage and excite the public.
“I loved the variety of species displayed at the BugFest; the moths being my favorite; and the experts were very kind and passionate about what they were doing,” Anna Gordon, a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill.
This year’s BugFest highlighted Krill in honor of the museum’s opening of the “Blue Whale special exhibition”. Krill are small but mighty arthropods of our oceans. They usually travel in massive swarms that are so large they are visible from space. Krill are a huge part of our ecosystem, helping with being a big part of the food web and our atmosphere by helping remove carbon.
“Loved the station where they had the moths and caterpillars. The one volunteer actually told us he gathered all the caterpillars they had there from areas near his own home here in NC,” said Brianna Swartz, a billing accountant from Greensboro.
ButFest explains on their website, “BugFest is dedicated to educating and engaging the public about science and the wonders of the natural world.”
The event was not just about what was going on in the event; it was also about what the museum already had to show off. From all their nature and sealife exhibits to their ancient life exhibits, where in each there were people explaining about insects everywhere. Where the bug is from, how long their species dates back, how many different species there are of that one bug, there is everything you might want to know about, and some things you might not even question.
Not only were there insects, there were so many yummy, different food trucks along with so much going on around with music, fun games, professionals, and children making sidewalk art, and even small businesses selling their unique creations.
A big exhibit was the caterpillars and butterflies. The museum’s butterflies come from all around the world as pupae and are safely secured until they hatch as butterflies and are released into the living conservatory, where they can roam freely.
In the living conservatory, you will also find a two-toed sloth that tends to just hang around and mind its own. It can be hard to spot due to its many hiding spots, but the challenge can be fun. Along with the sloth, you can also find a few turtles and a snake in an enclosed exhibit inside the conservatory.
Remember, even if you do not like bugs, there are things all around BugFest for everyone of all ages to enjoy.