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 The Entomology Collection at the WFC

by Abby Jones (she/her), BS Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; Minor in Spanish, College of Natural Sciences '25 

The UT Entomology Collection was invited to table at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center this past weekend during the science hour before Dr. Jen Lau’s talk “Human Threats to Native Plants.”  We had a great crew of volunteers and an awesome group of visitors. Highlights of the table included live Madagascar hissing cockroaches, drawers of preserved bees, butterflies and moths, and an insect matching puzzle. The puzzle might have even been more fun for the adults than the kids! 

The Entomology Collection was also invited to present at St. Theresa’s Pre-School on Tuesday, February 28th. Each year, the school spends a whole week learning about insects, so the UTIC was invited to supplement that. The students started out talking about what they already knew about insects, as well as what makes them unique. Then, they rotated through stations with the hissing cockroaches, some drawers of preserved insects (the dung beetles and colorful butterflies were a particular favorite), and some sorting and matching activities. Volunteers Alex Wild, Marc Frazier and I had a great time sharing our love of insects with the community!

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Entomology Collection at St. Theresa's Pre-school

Want a chance to see the UTIC in action? Come visit them at Travis Audobon’s Spring Nature Day on Sunday, March 26th from 10:00-2:00! Click here for more information.