Where you find clusters of white, blue, pink or purple flowers, you’ll find nectar-seeking butterflies fluttering about – and one of those places is the botanical gardens and arboretum at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park in Springfield, Missouri.This is the natural setting for the second annual Friends of the Garden Butterfly Festival July 24 and 25. The free event, a favorite of children and adults, celebrates all things butterfly-related. It will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. July 24 and 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. July 25. The Festival showcases the Dr. Bill Roston Butterfly House.
“At the Butterfly House, you’ll get an up-close look at native butterflies as they lay eggs and transform from egg to caterpillar, from caterpillar to chrysalis and, finally, from chrysalis to butterfly,” said Friends of the Garden member Cindy Willis.
At the nearby butterfly garden, visitors will be able to view and identify host plants. Children’s activities include crafts and a caterpillar petting zoo. Vendors will set up shop selling a variety of plants and garden-related merchandise. On July 24, a series of free classes and activities are being offered. The schedule is:
- 10 a.m. Butterfly photography – How to take great pictures.
- 11 a.m. Butterfly identification – Know your backyard visitors.
- 1 p.m. Gardening for butterflies – How to attract butterflies to your home landscape.
- 2 p.m. Butterfly photography – Another session of picture-taking tips and tricks.
On July 25, the butterfly identification and photography classes will be repeated at 1 p.m. and the gardening for butterflies classes will be at 2:30 p.m.
For more information about top events in Missouri take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Missouri.
For more information visit Springfield at www.SpringfieldAdventures.com