Crowds swarm to 7th annual Bug Fest in Batavia

The Fox Valley Park District's Bug Fest has been a hit the last six years, with nearly 10,000 visitors.

Saturday's seventh annual edition also proved quite popular as people swarmed Red Oak Nature Center, Lippold Park and the one-half mile of Fox River that connects the two.

"Bugs are weird, wild, fascinating … and often misunderstood," said Margaret Gazdacka, naturalist and facility manager at Red Oak in Batavia, where 40 acres of riverside woods, prairie and wetlands are home to hundreds of thousands of bugs.

Karen Layne of Aurora brought her 3-year-old son, Liam, to the event to help him with his fear of bugs.

"He doesn't like bugs but he likes the activities," she said as Liam kept his distance from the small aquarium holding several water bugs and tadpoles.

Bug Fest is a family-friendly event the park district works to make fascinating as well as educational, such as the benefit of bugs and the roles they play in pollinating plants and flowers, aerating the soil and serving as major links in the food chain. Families could use nets at three different "Critter Capture" areas along the walk.

One in three bites of food we eat is directly dependent on insect pollination, according to park officials.

For information on other park district programs, visit www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org.