This year marks the seventeenth annual “Day of Insects” (DOI) at Reiman Gardens. Held on Saturday, March 29th at Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens, DOI is a day filled with 15 presentations from professionals, academics, advocates, and enthusiasts covering a wide range of insect-related topics. From young beginners to seasoned veterans, DOI has something for everyone interested in or involved with insects.
For more information on the day, including a complete schedule of presentations and registration information, please visit the Reiman Garden's webpage.
2025 Presentation List
9:10-9:30 a.m. – "Floral Microbes and Pollinator Behavior" presented by Amber Crowley-Gall, Iowa State University
9:30-9:50 a.m. – "Insects Of Iowa Update. Using and Understanding The Data" presented by Jim Durbin, Insects of Iowa
9:50-10:10 a.m. – "Grazing Forces: How Insect And Mammalian Herbivores Impact Pollinators" presented by Katherine Kral-O’Brien, Iowa State University
10:10-10:30 a.m. – “Decapods of Iowa Revisited” presented by Paul Frese, Iowa DNR
11:00-11:20 a.m. – "Illuminating Host Associations In Dipteran Parasitoids (Phoridae: Apocephalus) Of Fireflies" presented by Mattie Gose, University of Iowa
11:20-11:40 a.m. – "The Trials and Tribulations of Prioritizing Iowa Insects of Conservation Need" presented by Stephanie Shepherd, Iowa DNR
11:40 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – "Documenting Insects at Big Sand Mound: Citizen Science at Work." Presented by Paul Mayes
12:00-12:20 p.m. – “Insects as Salesmen: 19th and 20th Century Trade Cards” presented by Leon Higley, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1:20-1:40 p.m. – "Insects: The Musical – Their Cultural Influence and Reasons Behind Their Song" presented by Aaron Eckley, Iowa State University
1:40-2:00 p.m. – "Decomposer Insect Communities in the Nebraska Sandhills" presented by Amanda Roe, College of St. Mary in Omaha
2:00-2:20 p.m. – "Regal Fritillary for Iowa: A Butterfly Lover's Campaign for State Insect" presented by Kara Grady
2:20-2:40 p.m. – "The Insect as Fashion Muse and Provocateur: Angelic Maggots and Subversive Lobsters" presented by Tierney Brosius, Augustana College.
3:10-3:30 p.m. – "Oh Gally!" presented by Makella Steffensen, University of Iowa
3:30-3:50 p.m. – “Mosquito Factories and Movement Through Suburban Neighborhoods” presented by Tavis Anderson, USDA
3:50-4:10 p.m. – "Honey Bee Swarm Behavior and Catching Swarms" presented by Jamie Beyer
For more information, contact Nathan Brockman at mantisnb@iastate.edu
Download the Day of Insects Poster.
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