The 13th Annual Insect Festival, sponsored by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County, will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2015, from 1pm-4pm at the Mercer Educational Gardens, 431A Federal City Road, Hopewell Township.
Attendees are invited to view the seven demonstration gardens: annual, butterfly, cottage, herb, native plant, perennial and weed. Along the way, there will be activities that will entertain and teach children of all ages about the incredible and, often beautiful, insects common to the Northeast. The event will be held rain or shine. Admission is free and on-site parking is available.Many exciting activities will be offered this year — view tiny organisms through microscopes at the “Bugs in Water” activity, enjoy an insect hunt on the paths through the restored meadow, visit with native-bee and honeybee experts who can explain why we need to be less fearful and more respectful of the most important pollinators in our ecosystem, or learn how insect predators and birds can help control insect pest populations and reduce the use of chemical pesticides. Plus, visitors can take a look at red wriggler worms making compost in a simple container that is easy to set up at home.
Popular events from previous years will continue — butterfly births, monarch butterfly tagging, bugs galore (insect inspection and handling), the insect puppet show, bug hotel construction, hayrides, and Q & A with Barbara J. Bromley, Mercer County Horticulturist.
Local environmental agencies will also be present with their experts and displays including Rutgers University Entomology faculty, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, Mercer County Mosquito Control, NJ Department of Agriculture Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory, Mercer County 4-H, and Mercer County Equestrian Center. The Naturalist from Mercer County Parks will also be present to lead insect-related activities.
Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; U.S. Department of Agriculture, and County Boards of Chosen Freeholders. Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experimental Station, is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact your local Extension Office for information regarding special needs or accommodations. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, (732) 932-5000, ext. 584.
The Master Gardeners of Mercer County is a volunteer educational outreach program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Master Gardeners participate in many volunteer programs throughout the County, as well as answer home horticulture questions through their Rutgers Master Gardener Helpline, (609) 989-6853, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., March through October, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., November through February. For more information on the organization’s educational programs and events, visit www.mgofmc.org.
PHOTO CAPTION: Rutgers Master Gardeners, left to right, Karen Prager of Princeton, Nancy Putnam of Hopewell, Priscilla Knight (“fly”) of Ewing, Jane McPhail of Pennington, Joyce Bush (“firefly”) of Bordentown and Calleen Parson of Pennington get ready for the Puppet Show at the 13th annual Mercer Master Gardener Insect Festival to be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Mercer Educational Gardens, Hopewell Township.
