Annual ‘Insect Festival’ will teach about importance of insects on Sept. 10

SCOTT FRIEDMAN
Butterfly larva and pupa during the 16th annual Insect Festival sponsored by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County at Mercer Educational Gardens, in Hopewell.

The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County annual 2022 Insect Festival will teach children and families about the importance of insects and protecting their habitats.

The annual festival is rain or shine from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Mercer Educational Gardens in Hopewell Township. Admission is free. On-site parking is available, according to Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County.

This year’s festival, themed “Bugs Need Homes, Too!,” features the importance of providing and supporting habitats for insects common to the Northeast.

There will be educational activities for visitors of all ages – a popular scavenger hunt, a metamorphosis game, and six demonstration gardens on site to learn how the different plants provide safe habitats for a wide variety of insects, according to the Rutgers Master Gardeners.

The public can also learn about various methods of composting.

Along the way, there will be activities designed to teach children of all ages to appreciate “the beauty and diversity of our insect friends,” according to the Rutgers Master Gardeners.

Other activities include “Bugs in Water,” “Insect Hunt in the Meadow,” and a question-and-answer session with a county horticulturist.

Representatives from the Mercer County Mosquito Control, New Jersey Beekeepers Association, the Watershed Institute, and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture will be present, as well as a county naturalist to offer displays and information.

For more information visit http://www.mgofmc.org

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