Butterfly Festival Marks 10 Years of Celebrating Pollinators

SPRINGFIELD – Friends of the Garden’s Butterfly Festival marks 10 years of celebrating pollinators on Saturday, June 22, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield, Mo. The free event features Master Gardeners of Greene County’s educational program for children, Young Sprouts in the Garden.

All ages are invited to celebrate pollinators and nature in an extraordinary setting. A wide variety of activities, performances and vendors offers something for everyone.

Visit the Roston Native Butterfly House and Caterpillar Petting Zoo to get an up-close look at the butterfly and moth life cycles. Hundreds of volunteers raise and care for thousands of caterpillars, moths and butterflies throughout the year to make this unique exhibit possible.

Participate in hands-on gardening adventures and create butterfly- and nature-related crafts as led by Master Gardeners of Greene County in the Young Sprouts in the Garden section of the festival.

Children ten and under are invited to walk the stage in the Pollinator Costume Contest at 11 a.m. Come dressed as your favorite butterfly, caterpillar or other pollinator and register at the welcome tent by 10:45 a.m. The contest is followed by a Pollinator Parade made up of all the contestants.

All ages are needed to help count butterflies at the Kickapoo Edge Prairie with Ric Mayer of the Missouri Prairie Foundation and Dorothy Thurman, Roston Native Butterfly House Docent. The numbers are recorded to monitor butterfly populations each year. Meet at the welcome tent at 1 p.m. to participate.

Purchase unique outdoor home and garden items, get lost in a story as read by the Springfield-Greene County Library District and watch in awe as The Instars perform their Butterfly Magic Show. Enjoy free admission to the widely-acclaimed Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden and free tours of the historic Gray/Campbell Farmstead and Liberty School.

Many volunteers are needed to ensure this popular community event runs smoothly. If you are interested in helping, please visit friendsofthegarden.org to sign up.

Friends of the Garden is proud to partner with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board and Master Gardeners of Greene County to make this event possible.

The Butterfly Festival is also made possible by generous community sponsors: City of Springfield Environmental Services, Renewal by Andersen, and Dr. Dan and Susan O. Cardwell.

For more information, please visit friendsofthegarden.org, call 417-874-2952 or e-mail info@friendsofthegarden.org.