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Master Gardeners to Host 8th Annual Insect Festival September 11, 2010

The Master Gardeners of Mercer County will host their 8th Annual Insect Festival on Saturday, September 11 from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M. at the Mercer Educational Gardens, 431A Federal City Road, Pennington, adjacent to the Mercer County Equestrian Center.
 
Join the Master Gardeners in a fun-filled afternoon of activities for children of all ages!   Go on an insect safari through our restored meadow and visit with native bee and honeybee experts who will tell us why we need to be less fearful and more respectful of the most important pollinators in our ecosystem. Master Gardener bird experts will be on hand to ID and describe the behaviors and food preferences of resident and visiting birds. Children will help paint a mural of the meadow, take a look at red wriggler worms making compost and join in a bee dance used by honeybees to communicate with one other about the location of blooming flowers. A local bluegrass band will have hands clapping and feet tapping at 1:00 PM.
 
Popular events will return including butterfly metamorphosis, Monarch butterfly tagging, catch-a-bug and bugs galore, an insect puppet show, tattoos, crafts, hayrides at the Equestrian Center and Q & A with Barbara J. Bromley, Mercer County Horticulturist. Local environmental agencies will also be present with their experts and displays—Rutgers University Entomology faculty, Stonybrook Millstone Watershed Association, New Jersey Beekeepers Association, Mercer County Mosquito Control, NJ Department of Agriculture Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory, Mercer County 4H, and  Mercer County Equestrian Center. Naturalists from Mercer County Parks and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve will also be present to lead insect related activities.
 
 
Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and County Boards of Chosen Freeholders. Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experimental Station, is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.
 
The Master Gardeners of Mercer County is a volunteer educational outreach program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, 930 Spruce Street, Lawrence, next to the Trenton Farmers Market.  Master Gardeners participate in many volunteer programs throughout the County, as well as answer home horticulture questions through their Rutgers Master Gardener Helpline, (609) 989-6853, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (March through October) and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (November through February). For More information on our Insect Festival and other educational programs visit www.mgofmc.org