I love butterflies. They are a wonder of nature, starting as a caterpillar, pupating and immerging from a cocooned slumber into something so beautiful, something that helps pollinate our flowers and food. Just seeing them flutter around puts a smile on my face. As a child, I even nursed one back to health that had been injured. I placed a bowl in the middle of the white carpeted living room, filled with fresh mum blooms and thanks to Encyclopedia Britannica (that was before the internet, kids), I fed it by placing cotton balls soaked in sugar water amongst the flowers. Within a few days, it was healthy and released back outside to live out its life.

So in July of this year,  several news stories surfaced, including from National Geographic, the Monarch butterfly has been officially placed on the endangered species list.

Monarchs migrate around 2500 miles – twice a year – to live between their summer and winter habitats. Now, it’s at risk of extinction, due to factors like habitat destruction, pesticide use, climate change and more.  Which is why the annual Butterfly Festival that happens in Oak Grove is more important than ever.

This Saturday, September 3rd, the 13th Annual Butterfly Festival happens on the grounds of the War Memorial Walking Trail and Viceroy Performing Arts Center on Walter Garret Lane in Oak Grove. Each year, 1000 Eastern Monarch butterflies are released into the wild to help with their population.

The day will be filled with family friendly activities, arts and crafts, food, vendors and more and the event is totally free. It’s a great way to learn about the importance of these beautiful creatures and witness a giving back to nature.

Britnee Ohman, Executive Administrator of Oak Grove Tourism, told me that they use Flutterby Gardens in Bradenton, Florida as their supplier. Flultterby Gardens is accredited butterfly breeder, raising butterflies from larvae to adulthood. She said that they order the butterflies about a month in advance of the festival. The butterflies are shipped overnight in a cooler with ice packs. Think of it as Han Solo being frozen in carbonite. They are gently and slowly thawed but kept cool, and allowed to warm up prior to release.  Ohman also said:

Not only do we source and care for our butterflies as responsibly as possible, but we also make sure that those released, and the wild populations alike are cared for. We have a “certified monarch waystation” butterfly garden on site full of milkweed, other butterfly feeder plants, and shallow, rock filled water features so that our little friends are able to rest, fuel up and hydrate prior to their departure and the continuation of their migration.

With out ever changing world, more and more species of animals will continue to be in danger. We as humans, need to remember to share our planet with them. Truth be told, without animals like butterflies and bees, we would become endangered ourselves.

So this Labor Day weekend, gather the family and head on up to Oak Grove to the 13th Annual Award Winning Butterfly Festival on Saturday. Enjoy a day of fun and learning starting at 11am and witness the truly beautiful spectacle of 1000 Eastern Monarch butterflies be released at 4pm.

Here’s the release from 2019

They should stick around for a bit before beginning that 2500 mile journey south towards Mexico for the winter where they will hopefully flourish, breed and return another 2500 miles back for the spring and summer months.