Bug Night with Lander's ESSO Club
/When dusk settles and the call of nature becomes more vivid, there’s an entire world, often overlooked, yet endlessly fascinating, that comes alive!
On Friday, September 12, Lander University’s Environmental Science Student Organization (ESSO) gathered at Camp Fellowship for just that kind of evening: Bug Night, a delightful exploration of the small (but mighty in importance) insects that inhabit our eco-system.
Nearly 30 students and staff from Lander University and Camp Fellowship turned out for the event. As dusk set in, participants donned headlamps, grabbed cameras and smartphones for recording images and data, and set up their gear—blacklights, collection sheets, flashlights— to settled in and observe. The crisp air, the bobbing glow of headlamps, and the rustle of foliage made for perfect conditions. The goal was simple: to observe, maybe collect, and certainly appreciate insects in their nocturnal habitats. Some bugs responded to the blacklight; others showed themselves in man-made corners, dangling from webs, and on the ground and in leaves. Everyone had the chance to share observations, compare notes, and learn.






[Photos by Lander Students and Staff, including Donte Wyatt-Jones and Barlow Hoffman]
Bug Night was held at Camp Fellowship, which serves not just as a retreat center, but as a home for environmental education and community programs. Fellowship is developing a Lake Campus Program in connection with and in support of area colleges and universities, public schools, home schools, and other educational organizations to gives students spaces to explore nature, deepen their scientific curiosity, and connect with peers outside the classroom.
As participants experienced the change in light at dusk, it was appearant that as shadows lengthened, insects gradually. The collective hush of participants enjoying the cool evening was broken only by excited whisper as something unique showed up: a beetle on a leaf, a moth at the blacklight, a flutter of wings nearby, a spider busily webbing. There was a continuous mix of laughter, curiosity, and learning—students pointing out patterns, colors, behavior; staff sharing knowledge; everyone sharing a sense of wonder. Those taking photographs caught moments of teamwork (setting up nets or lights), hands holding delicately luminous insects, groups peering into foliage illuminated by soft lights. These images illustrated not just bugs, but connection—among people and with nature.
Events like Bug Night do more than entertain—they:
Reinforce ecological awareness: seeing biodiversity up close reminds us how many living forms share our spaces.
Build scientific literacy: identifying insects, using equipment like blacklights, headlamps, and cameras to observing and record insect behavior—students get hands-on experience.
Strengthen community: students from different class-years, disciplines, and backgrounds bonded over shared experiences in nature.
Support the mission of Camp Fellowship’s Lake Campus Program: bringing students into the outdoors, fostering connections between school, community and Fellowship.
Bug Night was more than an evening walk in the dark with flashlights; it was a reminder that learning often happens in quiet moments, under the radar, when our attention turns to what’s usually unseen. For the 28 students and staff who gathered, it was an event that combined curiosity, fellowship, and respect for the small ecosystems around us. Camp Fellowship provided the perfect stage—and ESSO provided the spark.