ecoEXPLORE

08/26/2026

Our Entomology Field Season is really flying away! 🦋 To earn your Entomology Badge be sure to submit six insect photos and three entomology challenges by September 1st. Have fun and happy exploring!

08/24/2026

Ever wonder what it's like to be a real entomologist? Meet professional entomologist, Chris Goforth and learn about how she became an insect expert! Fly, buzz, or crawl on over because this is an origin story you will not want to miss!

Meet professional entomologist, Chris Goforth and learn about how s...

08/22/2026

This honey bee action shot was submitted by ecoEXPLORER, dinomateo. Western Honey Bees are highly adaptive little creatures! They are native to Europe, Asia and parts of Africa, but they were the first insect to be domesticated and as humans traveled they brought the bees with them! These bees can now be found all over the world.
Honey bees are important pollinators and they have an entire army of worker bees that are constantly searching for pollen and nectar. Once they find a great source of pollen they come back to the hive and communicate by dancing! Their waggle dance can even tell other bees what direction and the distance to the flowers. Pretty impressive for a little bee!

08/20/2026

Can you beelieve? 🐝 that our Entomology Field Season is almost over? Mark your calendars for our in person Season Summit! We'll venture out on a search to see what different types of flying and terrestrial insects we can find around the NC Arboretum! We'll have games, activities, and you guessed it - bugs! 🐞🐜
Visit our website for more details and to learn about our virtual Season Summit scheduled for August 31st. 🦋

08/17/2026

Ever wondered what the world looks like from a bug's perspective? Check out our latest video and join Ana on a micro safari as she marvels at how amazing insects can be up-close and their jaw-dropping abilities!

Ever wondered what the world looks like from a bug's perspective? J...

08/15/2026

ecoEXPLORER, midnightmoonjelly recently submitted this awesome entomology challenge depicting the dragonfly life cycle. We love all of the accurate information and the great drawings. Fantastic job!

08/11/2026

The answers to the moth mystery is here! How many did you get right? Don't forget to start your Moth Badge by the end of this month. Once you start the badge you'll have an entire year to finish. Happy exploring!

08/10/2026

In honor of our Moth Field Focus Badge this entomology mystery is testing your moth identification skills. How many can you identify? Tune in tomorrow for the answers!

08/08/2026

Check out this awesome Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly observation submitted by exoEXPLORER, lauranino. There are so many reasons that dragonflies are arguably one of the coolest insects around. First, dragonflies are ancient! Dragonflies were flying around 70 MILLION years BEFORE the first dinosaur appeared on earth. And at the time they were giant, about the size of a crow.
Dragonflies are also one of the few insects who can move all four wings independently from one another. This makes them expert hunters! When hunting other insects, like mosquitos, dragonflies are successful about 90% of the time. As a reference, a pack of lions have about a 25% hunting success rate. They are known for being the most effective hunters on earth!

08/04/2026

Did you know that some insects start their lives living in the water? Join Meghan as she shares all about her love for macroinvertebrates and stream quality. We hope you enjoy the journey as we learn about aquatic insects and explore a mountain stream in the fall foliage!

Meghan takes over for this video and shares all about her love for ...