RIVERDALE — Giant insects will take over a garden in The Bronx as part of a worldwide celebration of author Roald Dahl's 100th birthday.
Riverdale's Wave Hill is one of five gardens and zoos in the United States that will take part in "Buckswashling Nature," a series of programs being held throughout September to honor Dahl's love of animals and nature.
The events at Wave Hill on Sept. 24 and 25 will focus on Dahl's book "James and the Giant Peach," with a specific eye toward the insects from story: a grasshopper, a ladybug, a spider, a centipede, an earthworm, a silkworm and a glowworm.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days, visitors will use the bugs to create pop-up books about nature. From 1 to 3 p.m., entomologist Lawrence Forcella will be at the garden with live bugs and a display of real preserved giant insects from across the globe.
The other institutions taking part in "Buckswashling Nature" are the Memphis Botanic Garden in Tennessee, the Dallas Arboretum in Texas, the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.
Dahl was born in Wales on Sept. 13, 1916, and passed away on Nov. 23, 1990. Events honoring his 100th birthday will be taking place across the globe throughout the year.
Admission to Wave Hill is free on Saturdays until noon and $8 for adults, $2 for children between 6 and 18, and $4 for students and seniors 65 and older afterwards.
