Displaying items by tag: animal ambassadors
Tuesday, 20 August 2024 11:02
Ijams pays homage to our flying friends at science soiree
The live animal shows and educational lectures were a big draw during the annual Ijams Nature Center Hummingbird Festival held Aug. 17 at the center in Knoxville. Photos by John White/phocasso for Hellbender Press Annual Hummingbird Festival showcases Appalachia’s airborne denizens
KNOXVILLE — Jane Willard loves it when people put a name to the face of a butterfly. Or a bird. Or a bat.
She and Sarah Parker were crewing a booth of natural relics on Aug. 19 at the 2024 Hummingbird Festival at Ijams Nature Center, an annual celebration of all winged things.
Their display of items from the Ijams collection ranged from fierce and sharp owl talons to carefully curated moth and butterfly collections and a somewhat forlorn version of a long-gone little brown bat rendered relatively immortal by a long-gone taxidermist.
Passersby, their interests piqued, stopped and chatted in the humid late-summer morning. Some recognized butterflies and moths that had formerly forever remained nameless in their minds. Connections were made.
“People love stopping by,” and getting hands-on with native flora and fauna, said Willard, an AmeriCorps member who typically works on urban water quality issues with the Water Quality Forum.
Children learn about the four seasons during one of many immersive educational activities available during the Aug. 17 Hummingbird Festival at Ijams Nature Center.
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