Insectival: It’s an Insect Festival!

Buggy Costume Contest

Come dressed as an insect and you could win a gift basket full of Annmarie Garden Gift Shop items. Stop at the Insect Zoo and have your picture taken to enter to win. *Homemade costumes, store bought costumes accepted. Bonus points for creativity! Prizes will be awarded for best adult costume and best children’s costume.

Insect Zoo & Museum

Venture inside the Main Gallery to see a vast collection of live insects in our Insect Zoo,  and preserved specimens in our Insect Museum. Stop by the Nature Nook tolearn all about the life cycles and stages of these unique creatures. Will you be daring enough to hold a giant live insect?  Featuring:

-University of Maryland Entomology Department

-Bob Garner, MD Entomological Society

-Association of SoMD Beekeepers

-Hester Burch, AMG staff naturalist

Awesome Insectivores

It’s feeding time for these woodland friends who rely on insects as their primary food source! Meet our wildlife friends– from turtles to snakes, to frogs and more– and learn about their favorite treats! Humans can be insectivores too! Are you brave enough to try the bug-eating challenge? Featuring:

– American Chesnut Land Trust

-Calvert Bluebird Council

-NAS Pax Natural Resources

-Calvert County Natural Resources Division

-Pitcheresque Plants (carnivorous plants)

-Chesapeake Council of Fly Fishers International

Danger Zone

Learn about parasitic bugs like fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and more! Investigate household pests like ants, roaches, and assorted flies! View them under a microscope and check out their alien-like features up close! Featuring:

-AMG Craft station

– AMG fun and games

Precious Pollinators

Learn all about pollinators and why they are so important. Identify Maryland native bees or learn all about the interesting travels of the Monarch butterfly. Step inside the butterfly tent and identify a fluttering friend! Featuring:

-The AMG Butterfly Tent!

-Natural History Society of MD Lepidoptera Club

-Patuxent Tidewater Land Trust

-Kreative Kharacters Face Painting

-Anything is Possible, Inc. Butterfly craft station

NEW! Nocturnal Insects

Step inside our Studio School classrooms for an immersive nighttime experience with lights, sounds…and bugs!  From fireflies to moths, to crickets galore, explore what makes nighttime insects beneficial and unique.  Featuring:

– AMG craft station- glow painting!

– immersive art experience..come inside and cool down!

Hosts with the MOST!

Learn about the native plants that support the native insect population, that support the native wildlife, that all come together and support life on our planet! Featuring:

-Wild Ones, Chesapeake Bay Chapter

-SoMD Audubon Society & Xerces Society

-Joe Mudd, AMG horticulturalist

-AMG craft station

Buggy Crafts & Games

Hands-on activities along the shady Wooded Path, including art activities, carnival games, and playful buggy challenges! From costume wearables, to make and take fun, to Bingo, active play and perplexing puzzles, you’ll learn while having fun!

Garden Friends & Foes

Find out which insects help our vegetable gardens and which ones can wreak havoc! Learn about their food preferences and how to safely deter these pesky insects at home.  Featuring:

-Calvert County Master Gardeners

Misty Meadow Sprinkler Zone

Need to cool off? We will have misters and sprinklers throughout, so wear water shoes and bring a towel!