Kids and their curiosity for bugs were the focus of the 11th annual Bug Fest at the Fox Valley Park District’s Red Oak Nature Center in Batavia Saturday.
The four-hour self-guided bug crawl allowed kids and parents to explore both the Red Oak facility as well as the adjacent Lippold Park.
Facility manager Renee Oakley said a huge crowd was expected Saturday despite the fact the formerly free event now required an admission fee.
“We had over 430 people preregistered by the early part of the week, and we often get as many at 1,100 to 1,500 visitors,” she said. “We had to charge this year in order to handle staffing costs and making sure the supplies were covered.”
Kristy Graser, environmental education supervisor at Red Oak Nature Center, said registration grew “to about 600” by Saturday and that “we are looking for a lot of walk-ups.”
“All of our private parking passes have sold out as well, so we’re thinking people are anxious to get here first thing in the morning,” Graser said.
Oakley said there have been a few changes but that the focus of the day remained unchanged.
“There are different stations we have that are open that are hands-on as well as an inflatable play apparatus and a lunch that’s offered at the Nature Center,” she said. “It’s all about coming out and exploring. Things are different each year because we find people know bugs but don’t know they can be anywhere and can be specialized to where they live.”
Organizers said the event offers more than most would find in their backyard or a park nearby.
“By showcasing three different habitats – a wetland, a prairie and a woodland – they can see how bugs are tailored to where they live and that there are bugs in each area of the environments,” Oakley said. “This year, we’re looking for jumping worms specifically – an invasive species in the woodland area and hopefully we can document it and kind of help do some science on site.”
Oakley admitted that one bug is not the same as the next and that this year critters are plentiful.
“What’s great is that when one bug goes away another takes its place so you’ll always find bugs even with different weather fluctuations and this year I would say that all of the environments are pretty buggy,” she said.
Early guests like Dirk Herd of Aurora came with his family and said they “have all come three times before.”
“The biggest attraction is everybody likes to dig through the pond and try to catch some bugs. They’re always successful,” he said.
Lincoln Herd, 9, said he likes bugs “because they’re cool.”
“I like the praying mantis. We have them at home,” Lincoln said.
Rachel Herd said the family was happy to be back following the pandemic.
“We came a couple of years ago and they (the children) just loved it,” she said. “Every year it’s ‘Can we go back? Can we go back?’ They were so bummed last year when they didn’t have it. We had tears because there wasn’t any Bug Fest.”
Monica Thompson of Kingston came from more than an hour away and said that her daughter Emma, 4, was “a big fan of bugs.”
“I’ve never come before and I thought I’d come and check this out. It’s a beautiful day,” she said. “Kids like digging in the dirt and this is a chance to explore their world around them and I think there is a lot of taboos with bugs – you gotta have them in the ecosystem.”
Jennifer Sirkin of North Aurora offered a different explanation about being at Bug Fest noting that she “was going to become a marine biologist” and is currently taking classes at Northern Illinois University.
“I’m just interested in life as a whole. I’m doing this as a big person without kids,” she said laughing. “I get to use my niece as an excuse, but if she was in Colorado I’d be here anyways. I think kids in general like bugs because they’re so plentiful and without them you can’t have birds or amphibians or reptiles so they really matter.”
Michael Lutz and his wife Melissa said they have come for three years “because it’s fun and kids love it.”
Melissa said being at Bug Fest is better than looking for bugs at home “because you can learn about things.”
“Last time we were down digging in the swamp and there were people there telling us about things,” she said. “You get to learn things you don’t know.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
