Ozark Bug Crawl Returns to Historic Cane Hill for a Fifth Year

Grab a net and round up your team, because the bugs of the Ozarks are ready for their close-up. At the Ozark Bug Crawl, you’ll hit the trails of Historic Cane Hill on a hands-on hunt, with real entomologists on hand to tell you exactly what you caught.

THE DEETS

📅 Saturday, August 22, 2026
🕘 Doors open at 9:30 AM | Event runs 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
📍 Historic Cane Hill College, 14219 College Rd, Canehill, AR 72717
🎟️ Free entry, registration requested
🔗 More info | Registration

How the Hunt Works

You and your team will compete in a bug collection challenge, run in partnership with the University of Arkansas Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Austin Jones, Ph.D, an instructor of entomology at the university, will be on-site with volunteer experts to walk you through what you might find, what to avoid, and how to catch it.

You’ll get all the materials you need to join the hunt. Once your team has its catches or documented sightings, Austin and his students will check each specimen and share fun facts about it. Teams with the most diverse collections have a chance to win prizes, including passes to the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, personal fans, books, and other bug-themed prizes.

Guest Experts and Partners

You’ll also run into the ENTO-ROADSHOW traveling STEAM classroom, plus Scott Family Amazeum staff leading hands-on activities. The Illinois River Watershed Partnership will let you get up close with aquatic species pulled from Jordan Creek.

Diana Project volunteers will be there too, ready to tell you about the Diana Fritillary, Arkansas’s State Butterfly and an endangered species.

Music and Food

You can catch The Backyard Bugs playing live from noon to 2 p.m. When you need a break, 3 Chicks Concessions will be parked on-site with food for sale. They take cash and cards.

Build Your Team

Bring your family, your friends, or a group of people you’ve never met. Anyone curious about Ozark biodiversity is welcome. Pack water, snacks or cash for the food truck, and insect repellent before you head out on the trails.

Historic Cane Hill has run the Bug Crawl every year since 2022, using each summer’s catches to help record how much insect life is out there. If your crew wants in, you can register ahead through Historic Cane Hill’s Facebook page.