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Arts & Entertainment

An Afternoon of Monarch Fun at Hidden Oaks Nature Center

The Monarch Tag and Tea program at Hidden Oaks Nature Center provided education, crafts, snacks and a chance to get close to a monarch caterpillar and butterfly.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center held one of its very popular teas on Sunday afternoon. With so many participants for the Monarch Tag and Tea, an extra table was needed to allow everyone to have a place to enjoy tea and snacks similar to those found in the area of Mexico where monarch butterflies overwinter.

The Monarch Tag and Tea started with crafts that gave the young participants a chance to decorate a butterfly scratch-off and a butterfly hat. Suzanne Holland, the assistant manager at Hidden Oaks, led the educational presentation, which included a description of the lifecycle of a butterfly. Holland showed a short video taken in 1999, when she visited the Sierra Chincau monarch reserve in Angangueo, about 80 miles northwest of Mexico City. Hearing the wings of thousands of butterflies fluttering in the video was very impressive.

The best part of the program for many of the participants, both young and old, was the opportunity to touch a caterpillar, get tasted by a butterfly--butterflies taste with their feet, and see a butterfly tongue up close. With one male and one female monarch butterfly ready to be released, everyone went outside. Tiny tags were put on each butterfly, and the children helped release the insects.

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The program concluded with information on creating a backyard habitat for butterflies, with handouts listing host and nectar plants and focusing on native plants. After an afternoon spent with monarch butterflies, everyone wanted to plant some milkweed to encourage more monarchs to our area.

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