Graphic for the Third Annual Historic Cane Hill Bug Crawl
The Ozark Bug Crawl is back for the third year at Historic Cane Hill! This family-friendly, team-based insect collecting competition is held on the grounds and trails of Cane Hill in partnership with the University of Arkansas Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Historic Cane Hill started the Bug Crawl in 2022 as a nature-based education program to capture the diversity of insect life in the region. The event will now be held for the third year on Saturday, August 24. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.; the event begins at 10 a.m. at HCH College and runs until 2 p.m.
Austin Jones, an associate professor of entomology at the University of Arkansas, will be on hand along with other volunteer experts to educate participants about the types of life they can find there, what to avoid and how to catch various insects and arthropods.
“The Bug Crawl at Historic Cane Hill is a unique event that combines exploration of Historic Cane Hill’s beautifully maintained grounds and diverse habitats with science education and discovery,” said Jones. “Bugs – in this case insects and other arthropods such as spiders, millipedes and crustaceans – make up the most diverse group of life on the planet. The goal of the Bug Crawl is to bring the public up close and personal with these often overlooked creatures in a fun scavenger hunt-style ‘Diversity Rally’ where participants try to find as many different species of bugs as possible.”
Participating teams will be provided with the necessary materials to enjoy the crawl, such as nets and collection containers. Austin and other experts will help identify each team’s catch and share interesting facts about it. The teams with the most diverse collections will have a chance to win prizes, including tickets to the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville!
“Unique or important finds have the chance to become part of the educational collection at Historic Cane Hill,” Jones said, “but teams can ultimately decide whether to keep or release their captured animals. This year, the Bug Crawl will again involve numerous entomologically relevant community partners as well as the Ento Roadshow traveling STEAM classroom.”
The Scott Family Amazeum will be on-site with staff offering fun activities and information for children; the Illinois River Watershed Partnership will be getting up close and personal with aquatic species found in Jordan Creek; and Laurie Scott from the Living Laboratory at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville will also be demonstrating how pollinators impact the world around us. And if you work up an appetite for some “food,” the Three Chicks food truck will also be on-site!
Teams can be made up of family, friends or strangers, and all ages are welcome with adult supervision. Anyone interested in the biodiversity of the Ozarks is welcome to participate! Participants are asked to bring water, snacks or money for the food truck, insect repellent and anything else they need for the day. Teams will meet on Saturday, August 24, at the HCH College building, 14219 College Rd., Cane Hill, AR 72717. The event is free and open to the public, but anyone who wants to participate should register at historiccanehillar.org/ozark-bug-crawl.
