Bugs on display at Waukegan library

Typically greeted with a swat or a curse, bugs of all varieties enjoy a warm welcome in the Waukegan Public Library's “Creepy Crawlies” exhibit.

The exhibit features 2,200 square feet of insect displays and interactive learning centers in the library's children's department.

“We have some ultra-creative staff here, and each year they manage to transform this space into a new spectacle that makes the kids ooh and aah,” said Elizabeth Stearns, assistant director of community services.

Exhibits include a giant ant farm and terrarium with live, exotic critters, including a hissing cockroach, cobalt blue tarantula and emperor scorpion. A separate display area features creatures that can be found in Lake County, on a prairie or in a yard, like the praying mantis, millipedes and centipedes.

In tribute to children's book illustrator Eric Carle, the Creepy Crawlies exhibit will showcase mural-size illustrations of such popular characters as “The Very Busy Spider” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Young visitors can climb around a butterfly crawl space, play “I Spy” on a giant bug wall, learn to identify insects by their sound, and practice insect math in the math center.

The launch of Creepy Crawlies marks the third year of rotating exhibits in the children's department at the Waukegan Public Library, following “Dig the Dinosaurs” and “Under the Sea.” Each exhibit, including all displays and installation, is funded exclusively by donations from the exhibit sponsor, North Shore Gas and other private contributors.