STORY AND PHOTOS BY DEREK SVENNUNGSEN

For more than 20 years, the Sawtooth Botanical Garden has put on its annual Bug Zoo Festival, an attempt to make kids (and young-at-heart adults) learn more about how important bugs and insects are to the valley’s ec-system.

Last Saturday, under moody skies and moderate temps, a few hundred visitors took advantage of the opportunity to get first-hand looks at, well, bugs and more.

Tarantulas crawled on hands. Jewel beetles looked like rings on kids’ fingers. A millipede tickled handlers. There were snakes and rabbits, sharing the same table of all things! A bejeweled lizard, a turtle, some scorpions! Oh my!

This lizard was amenable to petting.

Community Engagement Coordinator Megan Schooley, in her second year with the garden, shared some thoughts about the turnout and exhibit: “The Bug Zoo has a great reputation in the valley. And we are making a conscious effort to increase the diverse communities in the valley who we cater to. I was thrilled with the turnout Saturday, and having so many great partners spread the word about the zoo really helps.”

Representatives from Mountain Humane, the ERC, the Wood River Land Trust, Blaine County’s UI Extension 4-H and the Hailey Library all played a role in the even. Two high school groups--Latinos in Action and the WATER Club--were also on hand to help with the event.

As botanical gardens can sometimes have a reputation for being “prim and proper” places for the well-heeled to take leisurely strolls around tended gardens, Schooley is committed to making sure the valley knows that the Sawtooth Botanical Garden is a place for all locals—and tourists--to spend a fun and active few hours.

“It’s a great place to have a picnic, for instance,” says Schooley. “We also offer space rentals for all sorts of events.”

Ann Christensen has been a mainstay at the Bug Zoo Festival for its duration, introducing children to tarantulas.

Additionally, the garden’s occasional Dark Sky dinners and Gimlets in the Garden often sell out.

For more information, go to https://www.sbgarden.org/. And be sure to make plans for next year’s Bug Zoo. If you’re averse to creepy-crawlies, you’ve got some 360 days to prepare your courage, so no excuses for not attending!

A volunteer painted butterflies on children’s cheeks.

A young man moves in closer to inspect bugs on a piece of habitat.