Monarch Butterfly Migration Festival
Posted in Dreaming on October 18, 2010
Did you know that the annual monarch migration south to Mexico is happening right now? By instinct, monarch butterflies fly south (sometimes as far as 2,500 miles) to Mexico every year reversing the path that their ancestors took the spring before. The monarchs arrive in Mexico sometime in November and then sometime in March they make their trip back up north to the United States and Canada.
Every year, usually sometime in mid October, these amazing butterflies make their way through Navarre, Florida which is neighboring city. We will see these beautiful butterflies around the city for several days. The bulk of the butterflies came through about a week or so ago but we are still seeing them around. In celebration of this journey, the Panhandle Butterfly House puts on a great festival called Monarch Madness.
The Panhandle Butterfly House is an educational outdoor science center and vivarium that is home to many beautiful butterflies. You can visit the butterfly house in the summer months or for Monarch Madness. During Monarch Madness, the Panhandle Butterfly House puts on a great festival. There was a bounce house, a craft area, and the great park it is located next to for lots of playtime. But the best part of the butterfly festival for my daughter? That was becoming a young lepidopterist or butterfly observer.
There were stations set up where the children could learn more about butterflies. They started in one area and worked their way to each station collecting stamps along the way. Each station was a stage in the butterfly’s life.
Monarch caterpillar
Once they completed their booklet and had all the stamps, the children were able to participate in a butterfly tagging. They also got to release a butterfly.
For my Monday Dream, I am dreaming about the journey that these little guys get to make. For more information, children’s activities or to find out how you can participate in the migration, visit Monarch Butterfly Journey North. You can also see a map of where the monarchs have been spotted this season.
Visit Mara at Mother of All Trips to see other Monday dreams.
What a wonderful experience for kiddos — and adults, too. I would love to witness this marvel of nature some day. Thanks for sharing!
I’m totally fascinated by migrating animals. What a cool event. PS: Love that your daughter is wearing a butterfly shirt!
So cool – and totally fits with the theme of my post too. I’d love to see not only migrating butterflies but the birds you get in your neck of the woods. They are leaving where I live right now and heading your way! Love the sweet photos too.
How cool that the kids get to connect with the migration by releasing a butterfuly onto its journey. I’m guessing it makes the experience just a little bit more personal that way. Very cool.
Awesome. I know the flight they take is an amazing one and the fact that so many of the things we took for granted as children have gone away, and the Monarch is a threatened species is even more reason to celebrate this journey!
What a great hands on experience for the kids! Your daughter looks like she’s having a great time and taking her butterfly releasing role very seriously! I still remember watching migrating butterflies fly over the Whitsunday Islands in Australia as a kid. Its was just magical and I hope to take the kids there to see it one day too! In the meantime we’re loving all the butterfly parks in Asia that we’ve visited on our travels.