Monthly Archives: June 2016

Opening day 2016 and 2nd annual National Pollinator Week event!

Science center opening day is this Thursday!

That says it! We are so excited to begin our fourth season (can you believe it?) at out science center and butterfly house. We’ve been raising butterflies for weeks, and we are ready to put them in our mesh-enclosed butterfly house for all to enjoy! In addition to the butterfly house, the garden is bigger and lusher than ever, our Mojave desert tortoises Tessie and Watson are with us again, we’ll have friendly millipedes, beetles, and other invertebrates to see and touch, and a host of other activities on site. As in the past, we’re open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from June 16 to Sept 24th (closed on Saturday, July 2). We can’t wait to see everyone throughout the summer, and as always you can find directions, recommendations, and other information about our science center on our website at https://nevadabugs.org/come-visit-us/. And, it’s the perfect time to schedule your group visit to our site! Group visits (group limit ~25 + chaperones) can be scheduled by emailing Kevin at kevin@nevadabugs.org. There are plenty of open times in July and August so just let us know!

Topping off our opening days will be the 2016 Pollinator Week event at the UNR Pollinator Garden on Wednesday, June 22nd in the courtyard of the Fleischmann Agriculture/Life Sciences building at the south end of the UNR campus. w\We’ll have garden tours, pollinator talks from local experts, native bee and butterfly specimens, a bug petting zoo, poster and plant giveaways, native bee house making, and more!

Our planned acitivity lineup includes the following sessions:

  • Garden Tours (Sarah Kulpa, USFWS, in the FA courtyard): 10:00-10:30; 11:00-11:30; 1:00-1:30
  • Nevada’s Native Bees (Jake Francis, UNR, in the FA courtyard): 11:45-12:00, 12:15-12:30
  • Herbicide Use and Pollinators (Jay Davison, UNCE, in the FA courtyard): 11:45-12:00, 12:15-12:30
  • Nevada’s Native Butterflies (Dr. Matt Forister, UNR, in the FA courtyard): 12:00-12:15, 12:30-12:45
  • NDF Nursery and Native Plants (Ryan Sharrer, NDF, in the FA courtyard): 12:00-12:15, 12:30-12:45)
  • Monarch Citizen Science Training (Nevada Bugs and Butterflies, in Fleischmann Agriculture room 300G): 2:00-3:00

This event is free and open to the public! Free parking spots for this event are available on the top level of the West Stadium Garage, and streetside parking is also available at the south end of campus on 9th St. and Evans Ave.

We can’t wait to welcome both our many returning families as well as many new ones we’ve met in the past year out to our science center this summer. We’ll see you out there!

You can also RSVP on our Facebook page for this event!

You can also RSVP on our Facebook page for this event!

 

Get your own special release Nevada Bee-Shirt!

Nevada is home to over 1000 species of native bees that are important pollinators of both wildflowers and many food crops. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they can be found in a wide variety of habitats. Despite being so important, bees are often misunderstood and many populations are in decline.

In order to celebrate these amazing creatures, we’ve created this special release t-shirt that highlights the incredible diversity in color, shape, and size of these amazing invertebrates. Designed by our wonderful and talented board member Angela Hornsby, these shirts are a great way to educate others about the importance and diversity of native bees and highlight your support for the tiny pollinators that work hard every day to help create a healthy ecosystem. Nevada Bugs and Butterflies is proud to support quality science education about native biodiversity in our area, and we provide pollinator education throughout the year. Proceeds from this sale will go directly towards our various educational programs, including workshops, talks, and take-home activities at our seasonal science center, like making your own native bee habitat!

Shirts are shipped directly to your address, order yours online today!

nevada bee shirt

Note that these American Apparel shirts run small- order a size up!

nevada bee shirt ladies

Note that these American Apparel shirts run small- order two sizes up!