The Idyllwild Nature Center will be hosting their annual Butterfly Daze event this Saturday, August 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission is free, and will include–in addition to a walk-in butterfly aviary–nature walks, lectures, arts and crafts for kids. There will also be vendors with various goods and food.
The event is sponsored the Riverside County Regional Parks and Open Space District and staffed by the Friends of the San Jacinto Mountain County Parks.
Nature Center Park Interpreter Allison Fedrick explained the role of butterflies in our ecosystem: “Butterflies are an essential creature in the world’s environment. They are invertebrates, which means that rather than existing with a skeleton on the inside, their body is created with an exoskeleton (a keratin structure on the outside). These fragile insects are important to our ecosystem because they are pollinators. They transfer pollen from the male part of the plant to the female part of the plant in order to complete the fertilization process. Without pollinators, plants would struggle to bear fruit, seeds, and new plants. Butterflies often live a very short life, but in that time, they do a lot of work to keep our plants reproducing.”
Fedrick also noted that this year’s event will be bigger than past years. “A butterfly rancher, Flutterby Ranch, will bring four or five different Southern California Species. They are a well-established company, I saw them at the San Bernardino County museum for an event. They will bring a much larger aviary than we had in previous years. They will give a conservation talk covering the vulnerable population of monarch butterflies. We’re a little bit high up here for Monarchs, but they do come through.” The Nature Center maintains a pollinator garden and so is usually a good place to find butterflies. Visitors who enter the aviary will be given a swab with nectar to attract the colorful insects. “It should be a fun day for any family that comes.”
Live music will be provided by Sandii Castleberry. There will also be a special outdoor Idyllwild Library Butterfly Daze Storytime with Ms Luanne at the Nature Center, at 10:30 a.m.
Butterfly Daze at the Idyllwild Nature Center, Saturday August 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 25225 Highway 243.
