Bugs, Bats & Bebidas

Join us for Bugs, Bats & Bebidas

LIVE MUSIC – LOCAL VENDORS – FOOD & DRINKS

APRIL 27
5 – 9 P.M.

LAS MILPITAS
COMMUNITY FARM
2405 S. COTTONWOOD LN
TUCSON, AZ 85713

ALL AGES

Discover the buzz about pollinators

According to the USDA, bees of all sorts pollinate approximately 75 percent of the fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in the United States, and one out of every four bites of food people take is courtesy of bee pollination. And on a global level, 35% of the world’s food crops rely on animal pollination! Without pollinators cacao wouldn’t exist. And the amazing agaves we get tequila from? Well, their primary pollinators are bats and without them it would be really hard to have agaves!

Pollinator Parade

Wear a costume or make one at one of the stations. Prizes awarded for best bug and best pollinator costumes.

Activity Stations

Activity stations (and a blacklight trap!) will be setup and run by Desert Museum, the U of A Entomology Department, and the Tucson Bee Collaborative , Tucson Audobon, Pima County Master Naturalists, and the USA National Phenology Network.

Food, Art & Apparel

• Food trucks/stations (Ensenada Street Food, La Merguez) as well as some delicious baked goods that will be available for purchase.
• Milpitas gardeners and friends will be selling hats, art, and jewelry that celebrate our Sonoran Desert wildlife & plant life.
• Canned drinks and aguas frescas will be available as well as some chiltepin coffee, atole, and hot chocolate for the more adventurous CFBers

Live Music

Desert Museum Family Band: some ridiculously talented and awesome folks singing about their love for all things Sonoran Desert. You can here their album here. For all you karaoke fans, we’re working on something that will facilitate singing along with them

iNaturalist Bioblitz

During Tucson’s City Nature Challenge, we’ll have  QR codes printed around the site so folks can join the project and record their wildlife and plant observations!

About Our Co-Hosts

The Tucson Bee Collaborative arose as a partnership between faculty and staff of the University of Arizona Entomology Department, the Pima Community College Department of Biology, and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum’s Conservation Education and Science Department. Our unique location drives this partnership. With over 800 species of bees known so far, the Sonoran Desert and Southeast Arizona is estimated to be home to one of areas of high bee diversity in the world. The Sonoran Desert has been rated the most biodiverse desert on Earth. Combine this with the extraordinary biodiversity of the Sky Islands that rise above the desert, and Southeast Arizona is one of the most remarkable regions in the United States.

Founded in 1952, the Desert Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization widely recognized as a model institution for immersive and innovative interpretation of native plants and animals in their natural habitat. The 98- acre Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ is regularly recognized as a top-tier facility due to its pioneering approach to interpreting the complete natural history of a single region. It is a zoo, botanical garden, art gallery and natural history museum, all rolled into one. The mission of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert. To learn more, visit
www.desertmuseum.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

The Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona has an internationally renowned faculty dedicated to excellence in research, teaching, and extension. Faculty expertise encompasses fundamental insect biology, pest management, and outreach. https://ag.arizona.edu/ento/