The Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival is Saturday, October 23rd in Hibiscus Park in Dade City.

It promises to be a fun yet informative event for visitors. Mini-presentations are a key ingredient towards the overall success of motivating and inspiring attendees to create an environment that helps butterflies and pollinators thrive in Florida’s Nature Coast.

Listed here is the schedule of the Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival mini-presentations:

11 am       Butterfly Gardening the Florida Friendly Way, Kathrin Harper, Program Coordinator, Florida Friendly Landscaping ™, UF/IFAS Extension

12 Noon   What Community Gardens Can Do for You, Kyle R. Christmas, Community Gardens Program Assistant, UF/IFAS Extension

1 pm         Enjoying Butterflies on Florida’s Nature Coast, Diane Bedard, Publisher and Founder, NatureCoaster.com

2 pm         Creating a Butterfly Puddler, Kathie Schram, Pasco County Master Gardener

The Festival will be held at Hibiscus Park (7^th Street & Bougainvillea Avenue) from 10 am to 3 pm and is being presented by the Dade City Garden Club and the Dade City Youth Council.

In 2018, the garden club became concerned about the diminishing number of Monarch butterflies and partnered with the City of Dade City to increase awareness on how to help this iconic insect. Created as a celebration of the City’s commitment to becoming a Monarch City USA, the festival will feature environmental educators, informational booths, presentations, native plant sales, vendors, and hands-on activities for the kids!

Visitors will be able to view live displays of butterflies, caterpillars, and chrysalis while learning about the life cycle of the butterfly and will see firsthand how to get their butterfly garden certified as a Dade City Monarch Butterfly Haven.