Event Details

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center's 12th annual Butterfly Festival will be held on Saturday, September 20 from 9am-12pm.

Each year, millions of monarch butterflies undertake their annual fall flight to Mexico. Nets and tags will be available during the event for those who want to capture and tag monarch butterflies.  Participants head out into the flower-filled fields and shelter belt around KWEC to capture monarchs, with tagging leaders stationed along the trail to help with the tagging process.  For the past several years, monarchs tagged at the event were recovered at three Mexico roost sites.

On the way to Mexico, data collected from tagged monarchs helps support the research of Monarch Watch.  Tagging helps answer questions about the origins of monarchs that reach Mexico, the timing and pace of migration, mortality during the migration, and changes in geographic distribution. 

Egg. Larva. Pupa. Butterfly. That's magic!  Steve Craig will have a butterfly magic show that makes learning this basic science fun using magic, puppets, and humor.  The Butterfly Magic show is designed for family audiences - enjoy the metamorphosis at shows at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:15am.  Make sure to claim free tickets on your arrival at the festival.

Larned-based Kellie Honey Farm will be present with a demonstration hive on display in the exhibit hall to educate about the importance of honeybees.

Grassland Groupies, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring the conservation of grassland ecosystem, will be at the festival.  Depending on availability of insects, they may have their Bumblebutt Petting Station, an all-male (so they won't sting) bumble bee interaction display or a walk-in butterfly tent!

KWEC will also feature an invertebrate zoo, with giant walking stick insects, butterflies, caterpillars, chrysalises, fluorescing scorpions, a tarantula, and more.  Kids can make a butterfly tealight lantern at the craft station and a monarch butterfly rest stop to assist the butterflies migrating through your own backyard.

Explore the Melody Marsh, an interactive play area in the KWEC Pollinator Garden.  The garden provides wildflower planting ideas to use at home and features a variety of native and adaptable plants that serve as hosts for different species of caterpillars and provide nectar sources for pollinators including butterflies, birds, beetles, and more!  Pollinator seed packets will be available for free until they run out.

For more information contact KWEC at 1-877-243-9268 or visit: wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.