Friday, March 29, 2024

Butterflies released at Monarch Butterfly Festival join the great migration

The Bob Jones Nature Center hosted the City of Southlake’s 2nd annual Monarch Butterfly Festival on the morning of Saturday, September 26. 280 guests of all ages joined in the release of 400 monarch butterflies to celebrate the monarch migration.

The Perennial Garden Society (PGS) sponsored the butterfly purchase with a $1,500 donation. Master Gardeners from the Tarrant and Denton County chapters spent the entire summer working hard to prepare the garden beds around the Nature Center for butterfly and human visitors alike. Their hard work paid off, too, because the grounds are absolutely stunning.

With help from PGS, all 400 butterflies were “tagged” with a small sticker on their outer wing printed with a unique identification number. All butterflies released are registered with Monarch Watch, a University of Kansas research project focusing on the migration and well-being of the monarch population. Any citizen who finds a tagged butterfly can contact Monarch Watch, report the identification number, and assist researchers in tracking this year’s migration.

The monarch migration continues to be one of the most intriguing events in natural history that inspires and amazes scientists, naturalists, and onlookers alike. “Being able to partner with the Perennial Garden Society to be a part of this research project is so important for us,” said Nature Programs Coordinator Hannah Nyquist. “Southlake’s position along the migration path gives residents the opportunity to observe and aid monarchs as they make their journey. Having a combination of nectar plants and milkweed (a host plant for caterpillars) available is incredibly important for the success of the monarch population.”

This year, the COVID-19 outbreak posed a unique challenge for the event’s organizers considering the event has seen hundreds of attendees in years past. However, the Southlake Community Services team was able to successfully recreate the structure of the event in order to keep attendants safe while still hosting a beautiful and educational celebration of the amazing monarch butterfly. “At first we weren’t sure we were going to be able to have the event,” says Special Events Coordinator, Sarah Binion. “But this event is important for the community and we were determined to find a way to make the festival happen. It brings so much joy to the people who come and we didn’t want our residents to miss out. Especially in a year when so much has already been taken away, we wanted to be able to give the community this special day.”

Instead of one large gathering and a scheduled release of all butterflies at once as is typical for the festival, the event was divided into pre-registered sessions to maintain smaller numbers. Each family group was escorted to a private station where they were instructed about how to release their butterflies. This new setup inadvertently created a much more intimate and personalized setting for each group to move at their own pace, making this year’s event a truly unique experience.

For more information on how to help monarchs year-round, please visit monarchwatch.org.

 

Monarch Butterfly Festival

Join the City of Southlake as we host our very first Monarch Butterfly Festival at Bob Jones Nature Center and Preserve!

Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada

Did you know the Monarch butterfly makes a grand migration every winter that covers thousands of miles? Their journey leads them south from Canada all the way to the mountains of central Mexico where their trip culminates in what have become designated butterfly sanctuaries where millions of other Monarchs gather to wait out the winter. Once warmer weather approaches, they’ll make their way north again to warmer climates such as Texas, stopping to lay their eggs. As Texans, we have the unique opportunity to be stewards to these beautiful insects, which is why we celebrate their amazing journey with a festival!

At the Monarch Butterfly Festival, we’ll be hosting a grand butterfly release of over 500 butterflies, as well as a seed toss parade, butterfly-themed photo booth, interactive games and education stations, a walk-through butterfly house, face painting, scavenger hunts, self-guided nature hikes and more! Come take part in the celebration and learn all about these amazing insects. The first 500 children age 4-14 registered will be able to release a butterfly, so be sure to register online!

**Parking for the event will be at North Park, 200 E. Dove Rd. Shuttles will run to Bob Jones Nature Center beginning at 8:30am.

When:
Saturday, September 28, 2019
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Where:
Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve
355 E. Bob Jones Rd.
Southlake, TX 76092
Get Directions

Cost:
Resident Fee: $3
Non-resident Fee: $5
All kids under the age of 3 are free, no need to register.
Register Online