2026 Fall Insect Nature Experienceship Report

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 9 a.m., nine interested patrons met in front of the Bean Museum to learn about insects, insect collecting, and identification. The experience was led by Natalie Saxton, who works with the Bean’s Entomology Collection. My coworker Ellie and I joined the group as student educators, helping transport participants to each location and making sure everyone had a positive experience.

After meeting at the museum, Natalie took us to the Entomology Collection, where she gave us a short tour and showed us many species of insects preserved, pinned, and cataloged in the collection. After we shared some of our favorite insects, she pulled out cases featuring those species for us to examine. It was fascinating to see the incredible variety of invertebrates in the collection.

Once we finished our tour, we traveled by van through Provo Canyon to South Fork Park, just beyond Vivian Park. South Fork Park includes fields, pavilions, campsites, and a natural stream that flows into a small pond. The park was quiet when we arrived, although several other groups came to enjoy its facilities during our visit.

It was easy to see why people love the park. The trees were beginning to turn beautiful autumn colors, and the tall grasses were topped with ripe seeds. A few wildflowers were still blooming, mostly in pale yellow and purple. As we walked, we spotted several robins and heard a couple of northern flickers.

After crossing the bridge to the southeast side of the stream, Natalie distributed nets and vials of ethanol. She taught us effective techniques for sweeping the nets and collecting invertebrates. It was chilly when we first arrived, so few insects were active. As the weather warmed, however, more insects began to appear, and participants found many fascinating specimens.

Some of the insects and other invertebrates we encountered included praying mantises, soldier beetles, shield bugs, orb-weaver spiders, garden spiders, jumping spiders, caterpillars, moths, aphids, boxelder bugs, lacewings, crickets, grasshoppers, damselflies, mayflies, water beetles, and more.

At the end of the activity, we released the insects we did not want to keep and preserved the specimens we chose to take back to the museum. After shaking out our nets and packing into the van, we enjoyed listening to “Bugs” by Jesse Welles on the drive back.

Everyone said they enjoyed the experience, and we couldn’t agree more! Natalie did an amazing job leading the group and teaching us about insect collecting and identification. We are already looking forward to the next event.

Thank you to everyone who attended—you helped make the event a success!

Paige, museum educator