The USDA estimates some monarch butterflies travel up to 3,000 miles during their annual migration to Mexico. Take part in this spectacular event the weekend of October 16 and 17 at the Panhandle Butterfly House called Monarch Madness. This Beaches to Woodlands event highlights the migration of the monarch butterfly through northwest Florida. The tagging process is part of the research conducted by the University of Kansas. Watch as hundreds of monarch butterflies are released into the wild for their annual migration to Mexico. The Garden Gate Nursery will have butterfly plants for sale, both nectar and host plants as well as caterpillar rearing cages and other butterfly or pollinator oriented garden items. The Santa Rosa 4-H Club will feature a science experiment booth, as well.
Want to go?
What: Monarch Madness Butterfly Festival
When: October 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: 8581 Navarre Parkway
Contact: UF/IFAS Santa Rosa County Panhandle Butterfly House Outreach Coordinator Mary Derrick Phone: 623-3868
Event website: www.panhandlebutterflyhouse.org
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Flight of the Butterfly