Florida Museum hosts late-night shadow puppet art workshop on Sunday

Press release from the Florida Museum of Natural History

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Stay up late on Sunday learning about nocturnal insects and making shadow puppets with the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Presented in collaboration with the University of Florida Field & Fork Farm and Gardens, “Nocturnal Neighbors: Insect Neighbors and Puppets” takes place on Sunday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Field & Fork office building. The event brings together art and science for a free, interactive workshop. After a brief lecture from lepidopterist Vaughn Shirey about nocturnal bugs and insect conservation, attendees will have the chance to make their own shadow puppets, with all materials included.

“Caring about and conserving nature is not solely linked to science but also to our connection to the natural world,” Shirey said. “An arts-based approach touches on the emotional relationship to nature in addition to the cool scientific facts about the species that occupy our nighttime environments.”

Local artist Ang DeCarlis will be leading the group on how to make shadow puppets out of paper, popsicle sticks, scissors, and hole punches. A light sheet will be set up for attendees to display their puppets and to showcase the diversity of insect species that are active at night. This event is also kicking off National Moth Week, which takes place from July 18 to 26.

“As a butterfly ecologist, I have to hand it to moths for the highest diversity of species and even cooler life histories. There are about 10 times as many moth species compared to butterflies, and they fill all sorts of important ecological roles in our environment,” Shirey said.

The Field & Fork office building is located by the University of Florida bat houses. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear and clothes that can get dirty or wet, as a portion of the event will be outdoors at night.

This is a free event, but preregistration is required.

For more information or to reserve a spot, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/nocturnal-neighbors-insect-diversity-and-puppets-7-19-26.