Fun Flutters In
The Florida Museum of Natural History Hosts its Annual ButterflyFest
Additional Images
Photo by Sarah A. Henderson
One of the workshops offered at ButterflyFest, Picture Perfect Rainforest Photography, allows adults to bring in heavy camera equipment and work with museum staff to stage beautiful butterfly photos.
A 3-foot-long butterfly, a 4-foot-long bat and a 5-foot-long moth might be seen drinking from a water fountain at the Florida Museum of Natural History this October.
No, this is not the Twilight Zone -- they are members of the Pollinator Parade taking a break at ButterflyFest, the museum's annual festival aimed to increase awareness of butterflies and other pollinators in an effort to support their preservation and conservation.
The Pollinator Parade is one of dozens of activities offered to the estimated 5,200 visitors expected to walk through the museum doors on October 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ButterflyFest offers something for every age, ranging from take-away crafts for children to workshops for adults."Our goal is to have people walk away with a big idea," said Douglas Noble, assistant director of exhibits, public programs and administration, "the idea that butterflies are not only beautiful, but that they play a critical role in the environment."
For the children at the museum, that big idea comes via butterfly masks, paper wings and indoor parades.
According to the ButterflyFest Web site, costume creation for the 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pollinator Parades will begin at 10 a.m. and last until 2:30 p.m. Additional butterfly games and crafts are available from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. All activities are meant to teach children about butterfly anatomy and the butterfly life cycle.
"Educating kids is the best chance we have at getting things to change for the future," said Kendra Lanza-Kaduce, public programs coordinator at the museum. "They are the future lepidopterists and museum curators."
Various non-profit organizations, such as Alachua County Waste Alternatives and the Lubee Bat Conservancy, will also have tables set up with hands-on activities and crafts.
"Partnerships are what make our message of conservation and preservation so strong," Lanza-Kaduce said.
But children are not the only ones who will have fun at ButterflyFest, Lanza-Kaduce said. There are numerous workshops, presentations and lectures adults can attend.
The Picture Perfect Rainforest Photography workshop allows adult visitors to use heavy photo equipment -- such as tripods that would not normally be allowed inside the museum -- to take photos within the butterfly rainforest. Museum staff will also be on hand to help stage photos with some of the rainforest's most beautiful butterflies.
The Butterfly Garden Design workshop is offered to assist adults in designing their own butterfly garden. Tips, including the best soil type to use as well as butterfly-attracting secrets, will be shared, according to the Web site.
ButterflyFest also offers off-site field trips with expert field guides to the Morningside Nature Center, as well as behind-the-scenes tours of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity and the butterfly rainforest, Lanza-Kaduce said.
Though admission to ButterflyFest is free, special events and entrance into the butterfly rainforest are not. Special events include the workshops, tours and field trips, which vary in cost and require pre-registration. Those interested should visit the festival Web site for more information.
To enter the rainforest, adult visitors from out of state must pay $9.50, and Florida residents must pay $8. Children ages 3 to 12 can enter for $5, and students and seniors can enter for $7.
Noble said the butterfly rainforest is self-sustaining and costs half a million dollars to maintain each year.
"If we don't generate enough money, we couldn't have a rainforest," he said. "Any surplus revenue goes toward helping our educational programs."
The museum's butterfly rainforest is home to both native and exotic butterfly species. About 1,500 to 2,000 butterflies inhabit the 6,400-square-foot, 60-foot-tall, non-climate-controlled rainforest enclosure at any given time, Noble said.
According to the rainforest's Web site, the museum's butterflies come to the museum in the chrysalis stage from farms throughout Florida and all over the world, including from the countries of Malaysia, Belize and Ecuador.
"It's definitely more than meets the eye," Noble said. He also recommends wearing bright colors, which will encourage butterflies to land on rainforest visitors.
There will be two butterfly releases each afternoon, the first at 1 p.m. and the second at 3 p.m., Lanza-Kaduce said. There are also catfish and turtles in the rainforest ponds.
In addition to a walk through the rainforest, festival events both adults and children might enjoy are the scheduled musical and dance performances, Lanza-Kaduce said.
Dance routines by Danscompany of Gainesville and Hogan School of Traditional Irish Dance are planned for the festival as well as musical numbers by The Clique quartet and an a cappella quintet, A Blended 5th.
Also, lectures and presentations for all ages will be given by butterfly and pollinator experts, including Thomas J. Allen, a biologist, author and artist, and Dr. Jaret Daniels, assistant curator at the museum's McGuire Center.
The McGuire Center, which Noble said is "the perfect complement" to the butterfly rainforest, allows visitors to see thousands of butterfly and moth specimens and photographs on its breathtaking Wall of Wings. Visitors can also see chrysalises in its Rearing Room and scientists at work in its Special Projects Lab. There is also a gift shop in the McGuire Center, full of unique butterfly-themed gifts, as well as a butterfly plant sale outside the museum.
Noble said with the butterfly rainforest being the museum's "anchor attraction," ButterflyFest makes perfect sense.
"The idea is that visitors are entertained, and walk away inspired to find out a little bit more," he said. "It's a win, win, win, solid kind of thing."
"Ultimately, we hope to inspire people to adjust an action," Lanza-Kaduce said, "to use less pesticides and fertilizers and to actually put the glass bottle in the recycling bin.
"We are helping the environment through education." §
Sarah Henderson is a student in UF's College of Journalism. She may be contacted through the editor: editor@towerpublications.com
ButterflyFest
October 24 and 25
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Florida Museum of Natural History
More info: call festival coordinator Kendra Lanza-Kaduce, 352-273-2064
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/butterflyfest
