WOOSTER, Ohio - Children who enjoy creeping, crawling animals and insects that buzz in the night will have the opportunity to get their fill during the 3rd annual Night Insect Walk being held on the grounds of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center on July 21.
The event, free to the public, will run from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will include walking trails and bug-related contests. Brian Kunkel, an OARDC graduate research associate in the Department of Entomology, said the purpose of the event is to educate children on the world of insects and give adults a sense of how the entomology department functions and conducts its research. "It provides an opportunity for kids to see and possibly handle some exotic insects and to learn about the diverse arthropod world," said Kunkel. "We try to make it entertaining by providing contests for the kids that have insect-theme prizes."
Some of the contests include a balloon bug hunt that demonstrates sampling methodology, a firefly display that allows children to "call" their own fireflies, and an insect race.
The event will feature three dust trails, which will begin at 8 p.m. The bug zoo trail will have live insects displayed at stations along the way, an aquatic trail will include a hike around the Secrest Arboretum water garden, and a butterfly trail will involve a hike around wild flower plots to observe any insects that may be feeding.
The Night Walk will begin at 9:30 p.m. and consist of three trails: an oak trail, a hike around the oak trees in Secrest Arboretum; a crop trail, which will wind around corn and alfalfa plots; and a landscape or yard trail, which will take visitors through crabapple trees and other ornamental plants.
For more information on the event, contact Brian Kunkel at (330) 202-3524, or kunkel.13@osu.edu; Corrie Gardner at gardner.259@osu.edu; or Gina Penny at weedsrcool@hotmail.com.