Michelle Howe, a DeWitt, Mich., resident and mother of Aubrey Howe, said she brought her daughter to the annual Bug Day because she wanted to give her the chance to learn more about insects.

“She loves catching snakes and bugs in (her) grandma’s backyard; caterpillars are her favorite,” Michelle Howe said. “We just love coming to these events.”

Aubrey Howe was one of about 80 children who attended the event, Education Coordinator Jessica Wright said.

“It’s a perfect time for the garden,” Wright said. “We try to expand knowledge of what they see here by inviting the Bug House to participate in this event.”

The Bug House brought stick bugs, a scorpion, cockroaches, beetles and a spider for children to touch.

There also was a coloring station, a station where children could craft their own bug houses and several other art stations for children to visit throughout the garden.

The bugs that children could touch were Aubrey Howe’s favorite part of the event, she said.

“I want to be a veterinarian so I can catch bugs and fix them,” Aubrey Howe said, adding that she catches caterpillars in her yard at home.

Bernice DeMarco, a volunteer who worked at the bug station, handed the insects to interested children and talked to them about the different kinds of bugs.

Some children are a little bit nervous at first to hold the bugs that are in the cages, she said.

“Their number one question is, ‘Do they bite?’” DeMarco said. “But once a child sees other children playing with the bugs, they are much more comfortable and excited.”