Press Release
ButterflyFest this weekend features tagged monarch releases, plant sale
Oct. 19, 2009
Media contact:
Paul Ramey, APR
Assistant Director, Marketing and Public Relations
Florida Museum of Natural History
352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu
Writer: Lauren Churchwell
PHOTOS AVAILABLE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- The Florida Museum of Natural History will release tagged monarch butterflies, hold gardening and photography workshops and feature expert speakers on a variety of gardening and pollinator wildlife topics during its annual ButterflyFest Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 24-25).
ButterflyFest is a celebration of all pollinators and encourages visitors to explore their role in our ecosystem through crafts, games and presentations. The festival also includes activities, entertainment, food vendors, workshops and tours for the whole family.
Florida Museum staff will release hundreds of Monarch butterflies both days of the festival. The Florida Museum is participating for the third year in the national Monarch Watch program, which tracks the butterflies' migration to Mexico with citizen reports using tiny stickers attached to the butterflies' wings.
The museum will also share how best to attract butterflies to home gardens. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase native, nectar, host and accent plants. All proceeds benefit the Butterfly Rainforest.
Each workshop is being held at a partner organization with an established butterfly conservation or reintroduction program.
This year's festival features keynote speaker Thomas Allen, a wildlife research ecologist, author and artist who lives in southwest Florida.
Field trips include a new tour of Paynes Prairie from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. This hike includes many opportunities to see the prairie's abundant wildlife, including alligators, amphibians and more than 270 species of birds. Discover the wonders of Gainesville's wetlands and how they impact the aquifer. Lunch and transportation are not provided.
Festival admission is free, and fees for special activities such as butterfly pinning workshops and butterfly garden design workshops range in price from $25 to $50. Visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflyfest/registration.htm for online registration for behind-the-scenes tours and workshops. For more information, visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflyfest/ or call 352-846-2000.
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The Florida Museum of Natural History is Florida's state natural history museum, dedicated to understanding, preserving and interpreting biological diversity and cultural heritage. It is located near the intersection of Southwest 34th Street and Hull Road in the University of Florida Cultural Plaza in Gainesville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Butterfly Rainforest admission is $9.50 for adults ($8 Fla. residents) and $5 for children ages 3-12. Prices subject to change. For more information, including directions and parking, call (352) 846-2000, or visit www.flmnh.ufl.edu.