A lot of people think that our world would be better off without all of the insects in it. Not so, according to Lois Lindberg, volunteer naturalist at the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. Lindberg and fellow naturalist Wendy Albin gave a presentation about the importance of butterflies and insects in our ecosystem at the site of Theodore Roosevelt’s former home on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
“Butterflies and other insects are very important in nature,” said Lindberg. “People see bees, wasps and ants and other insects as pests, but they actually contribute to our ecosystem by each doing their own unique job. They pollinate the flowers and fruits and without them we would not be able to eat a lot of the stuff we eat every day.”
A lot of the insects talked about are native insects to Long Island and the butterfly exhibit that was displayed at the presentation showed species from all over the world.
“It is actually an extensive species list and a lot of the materials that we brought over were from an exhibit that was shown at the Nassau County Museum,” said Lindberg.
Christina Grasso, a second-grader at Friends Academy, was intrigued by all the bugs, but her favorite part of the event was the hands-on activities and special crafts.
She, along with a few of the other kids, helped put together the stages of a butterfly’s metamorphosis with recycled products including egg cartons, leftover yarn and stale pasta.
“I definitely am into arts and crafts and making the butterfly metamorphosis was really fun,” said Grasso, who was at the event with her dad. “I love crafts and do a lot of them in school.”
Lindberg said that if people find a unique insect or butterfly in the wild they can report it to websites like the Citizen Science Program or the Lost Ladybug Project, www.lostladybug.org.
There have been a lot of events in the month of August at Sagamore Hill. Other events have included a program on useful and poisonous plants, The Rough Riders at Sagamore Hill and a special nature walk called the TR & Conservation which will take place this Saturday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
