Name: Branch Out Event: Bees, Bugs, Butterflies, and Birds: Connecting Insect Diversity and Native Plants
Start: 2025-09-20T13:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-09-20T16:00:00-04:00
Location: Sugarlands Visitor Center

Branch Out Event: Bees, Bugs, Butterflies, and Birds: Connecting Insect Diversity and Native Plants

As E. O. Wilson once pointed out, it’s “the little things that run the world”—of which “little things” of the six-legged kind are paramount. Insects constitute the single largest group of organisms in all the animal kingdom, so it is no surprise that they make up a significant proportion of species in our renowned biodiversity hotspot.
This program is an exploration, and celebration, of the wonderful world of insects found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From diversity and behavior to ecology and conservation, participants will learn about the insect groups most commonly found in our area, how to recognize the insect signs that are often more commonly encountered than the insects that make them, and the essential connection between insect herbivores and pollinators, native plants, and bird diversity. Participants will come away with a heightened appreciation for “the little things that run the world” and what we can do to help them.