The Butterfly Festival @ Collin Creek Mall
They give you a Q-tip dipped in Gatorade, so you have something to attract them a little. At that point, you just turn your child loose in there and let them start collecting butterflies on themselves. With the thousands in the tent, it doesn’t take long.
Getting Butterfly Kisses
Most of the butterflies were of the Monarch variety. They covered the ceiling of the tent, and also fed on the variety of flowers that were available for purchase. Complete with a butterfly of your own.
A Monarch Butterfly
Inside the text was one of the Kiwanis members to help out. He’d help the kids get butterflies on their heads and was also happy to share his knowledge of butterflies with everyone. Although fewer in number, he was happy to point out several other varieties of butterflies you can find flitting around the inside of the tent.
Spicebush Swallowtail
One of the prettier butterflies (besides the Monarch, of course), was the Spicebush Swallowtail. I only saw one of them in the entire tent, and it shy compared to the others. It rarely openned its wings to show it’s full colors and wingspan. It also tended to like the ceiling of the tent, which made it more difficult to get a close look.
A Common Buckeye Butterfly
The Common Buckeye butterfly had a lot more friends in the tent, and much more accommodating to being watched. They are common, as varieties of this butterfly are found throughout North America.
Covered in Butterflies
To a child the Butterfly Festival was a place of wonder and fun. Just a simple thing can put a smile on your childs face. Especially when your child loves all kinds of animals and wildlife – and managed to make friends with that Spicebush Swallowtail and get it show it’s full wingspan! But the fun didn’t stop there, since you could take a little of the Butterfly Festival home with you!
Monarch Chrysalis
You were able to purchase your own Monarch Chrysalis to take home. So we did. And tonight, I got to see the look of excitement on their faces when we discovered the first butterfly had emerged. Right now, you can still see that the wings are a little crumpled and wet. But by tomorrow, it should be ready to be set free. My daughters can hardly wait.
Tags: buckeye butterfly, butterflies, children, chrysalis, educational, kiwanis, monarch butterfly
