Creepy-crawly may be what children think of when envisioning or encountering bugs. Forest Preserve District of Will County hosts a traveling exhibit designed to change that.
Organized by Purdue Agriculture Exhibit Design Center, “What’s Bugging Belva?” runs Sept. 1-Nov. 30 at Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township near Beecher.
“This exhibit was adorable because one of our most underrepresented animals on the planet are insects. If anything, people look at them in a negative way,” said Kate Caldwell, an interpretive naturalist for the forest preserve district.
“What ‘What’s Bugging Belva?’ does is it invites people to walk through a life-size storybook. Belva is having an identity crisis. She doesn’t think much of herself.
“Her grandfather walks her through the garden and shows her how beautiful she really is, how amazing she is and how valuable she is to everybody and everything.”
Free events at Plum Creek Nature Center during “What’s Bugging Belva?” include “Hello Belva!: Incredible Insects” from 1-3 p.m. Sept. 8 with bug nets and bug boxes to discover insects such as beetles, butterflies, crickets and grasshoppers.
“It is melding the indoors with the outdoors. When people come in the door they will, of course, be coming here because of the exhibit and because we are highlighting it as part of the program. Then they will be drawn outdoors, which would be something that you can do in your backyard,” Caldwell said.
“Kids can look in the grass and flowers. At this time of year when prairie flowers are all blooming and when the insect world is as its richest, there should be a lot of interesting species of insects for kids to look at.”
“Paint a Bug!” from 1-3 p.m. Sept. 14 for ages 5 or older accompanied by an adult requires registration by Sept. 12.
“There’s finger paints. We’re going to be drawing insects using your senses and using your fingers and paint,” said Caldwell about this event, which begins with a hike around the nature center to discover insects.
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“Pond Bugs” from 1-3 p.m. Sept. 21 requires registration by Sept. 19.
“Some insects are insects of soil. Then there are some insects that have their life cycles in water. We will be going on about an eighth-of-a-mile walk down to Snapper Pond and viewing the different types of insects that live in the water,” said Caldwell, of Crete.
“Because of the time of year there will be adult insects such as dragonflies and damselflies that will be flying over the water. We’ll be focusing on insects that are aquatic.”
“Moth Mania!” from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 28 for ages 6 or older requires registration by Sept. 26.
“We’ll be discovering what makes moths so special. When attendees go on the hike they’ll be leaving behind a lit-up area where they will be trying to attract moths. When we come back we’re going to see if any moths did alight on the lit-up area that’s back at the nature center,” Caldwell said.
“What’s Bugging Belva?” from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, targets prekindergarten to fourth-graders and their families and offers the opportunity for school field trips to the exhibit, which addresses academic science standards.
“We want people to feel comfortable to go home in their backyards in their neighborhoods and explore,” Caldwell said.
“‘What’s Bugging Belva?’ is a look through the eyes of the insects.”
‘What’s Bugging Belva?’
When: Sept. 1-Nov. 30; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; noon-4 p.m. Sundays
Where: Plum Creek Nature Center, 27064 S. Dutton Road, north of Goodenow Road, Crete Township near Beecher
Details: Admission is free. For information, call 708-946-2216 or go to www.reconnectwithnature.org
Jessi Virtusio is a freelancer for the Daily Southtown.