Friday, October 11, 2024

Master Gardeners to host annual monarch festival

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The Lake Granbury Master Gardeners will host the annual “Romancing The Monarch, A Butterfly Festival” Saturday, Oct 5, 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The event takes place at the LGMG Demonstration Garden behind Hood County Annex 1 at 1410 W. Pearl St. The public is invited to attend, and admission is free. Rain date will be Sunday, Oct. 6 if the event is rained out.

Residents of Hood County are fortunate to be in the path of the monarch butterfly migration. Each year from September to November, monarch butterflies migrate through North Central Texas on their way to overwinter in Mexico.

Six years ago, when the group first launched what is now a popular and well attended event, the Master Gardeners had the lofty goal of making Hood County the monarch butterfly capital of North Texas. They are getting ever closer to that goal with support from local government and businesses.

“We continue to encourage the community to help us reach our goal,” says event chair Deborah Rollins.

“Please join us at the festival for a unique nature experience where you’ll have the opportunity to learn about attracting, providing for and protecting monarch butterflies,” Rollins continued.

Activities planned for this special day include a live monarch butterfly release, instruction on how to create a butterfly-friendly garden, tours of the demonstration garden, face painting and children’s crafts. Visitors will also learn how and why monarchs are “tagged” as they migrate through Hood County. It promises to be an interactive learning event, which is designed to entertain and educate attendees of all ages.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to register to participate in the live monarch release. For more information, contact the Lake Granbury Master Gardeners by calling the Texas AgriLife Extension, Hood County at 817-579-3280 or go online to https://txmg/org/hcmg.

Butterfly, Monarch, Master Gardeners