Nearly 150 people took part in Saturday’s Blossoms and Bugs Family Fest at the Preserve at Highland Park.
Meghan Meredith, the Park District of Highland Park’s manager of the Heller Nature Center and Rosewood Interpretive Center, said the festival was the district’s first spring event in a few years.
“We wanted it to celebrate this season while getting families outdoors to experience all the growth and change that occurs this time of year,” she said. “From blooming flowers to the tiny creatures that help our world grow, we designed this special event all about exploring, playing and discovering together as a family.
“Spring offers a perfect opportunity to highlight the role of pollinators like bees, butterflies and other insects that sustain the food systems, as well as healthy habitats,” Meredith said. “By interacting with nature, we aim to deepen awareness of these critical species, but also foster a sense of wonder and stewardship for the local ecosystems we are a part of.”
Nick Baird, the Park District’s director of recreation, was among the staff members assisting at program tables, which offered crafts and education. To patrons who participate in district offerings, he said, “It’s our pleasure. We just really want to enhance the lives of individuals in our community and expose them to a variety of different things.”
Park District naturalist Brittany Shirley showed off a locally obtained snail from a nearby pond to children, including Stevie, 5, the daughter of Meghan Castellari of Highland Park.
“We did pond dipping at the pond right over there, and now we’re looking at our samples to see if we find any creatures that might be living in the mud,” Shirley said.
They found a snail, and Stevie decided to name it Muddy.
“It is so wonderful,” Stevie’s mother said of the experience. “We are just so grateful to live in a community that has such wonderful resources for our kids and for the environment.”
A popular attraction was a tent staffed by reptile handlers Jim Galeno, the owner of JG’s Reptile Road Show, and Sabrina Kemp of Franklin Park. There, you could pet Drago, 5, a male alligator, and a rescued yellow Burmese male python named Squeeze, likely 7, who is seven feet long, for now.
Galeno is licensed to keep Drago the alligator until the reptile is ready and maybe too big, needing relocation to a proper environment for alligators of his size. Per law, Drago had to have his mouth taped shut while being shown to the public.
Drago did not stay out long to be shown. But Squeeze was kept on a long table by his handlers and could visit longer with curious patrons. When Squeeze showed his tongue, that was the reptile’s way of smelling beings around him.
Those in attendance were told that Squeeze was a rescue animal. “We stress that at all of our shows because we do bring a lot of animals that are not necessarily good pets,” Galeno said. “This one … being one of them. Burmese pythons can get to 20 feet, 200 pounds, so we like to stress that we did rescue him.
“I would say that 95% of all of our animals are rescues,” he said. “Very few of them are not.”
Sam and Katie Larimer of Lake Bluff brought their daughter Rosie, 2, who spent some time petting Squeeze.
“I think snakes are really unique creatures, and I think it’s a great opportunity to … be able to pet the snake,” Katie Larimer said.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for kids to learn,” Sam Larimer said.
