BugFest 2024 offers hands-on learning

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- School groups, nature enthusiasts and the public can enjoy two fun-filled days of celebrating the environment, ecosystems, wildlife and insects at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.

BugFest is set for Sept. 20 and 21. The event offers insect-related displays, interactive exhibits, games and crafts. Biologists, naturalists, entomologists and other experts from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama will host booths and give presentations on butterflies, bats, caterpillars, pollinators, spiders, crayfish, native plants, native and exotic arthropods and more.

New activities this year include racing Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Saturday’s high fashion Bug Brigade and the bat trail -- a nature trail celebrating the importance of bats.

The event is open only to school groups on Sept. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for an educational field day. All school groups can preregister by calling the arboretum at 601-799-2311, ext. 0. Admission is $2 for students and free for teachers. Chaperones and families attending with students pay public admission prices.

The public is invited to attend the afternoon of Sept. 20 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Attendees can visit insect-related displays, talk with educators, view ambassador wildlife, hike the arboretum trails, enjoy insect-themed arts and crafts, walk the bat trail, watch Madagascar hissing cockroaches perform on their very own racetrack, view the photo gallery arthropod display, and visit the gum pond, pitcher plant bog and pollinator garden.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 20, participants can take part in special activities, which include using a blacklight to search for bugs, identifying insects, looking for bats and talking with experts. These are no-kill activities. Please bring a flashlight.

The event again opens to the public Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees can enjoy insect programs and exhibits, pollinator tours, vendors and more. The Bug Brigade will perform at 10:30 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. at the pavilion. Following their performance, the BugFest Photo Competition awards will be presented. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under.

On Saturday, multiple vendors will be on hand, including Backhouse Garden with native plants for sale, the Gum Drop Shop with special BugFest candies and Blue Boy Herbs with their products as well as food trucks.

This project is supported by the MEMBERS of Coast Electric through Operation Round Up and their community trust in partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

MSU is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation or other information, contact Barb Medlock at 601-799-2311, ext. 0.

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