The Florida Museum of Natural History will host its eighth annual Butterflyfest this weekend. Entertainment at Butterflyfest will include live performances, workshops, and engaging challenges for visitors to participate in.
Jaret Daniels, Interim Director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, said that Butterflyfest helps to educate the public on its impact to wildlife.
"One of our priorities is trying to encourage people to create more wildlife friendly landscapes so that we can conserve and promote biodiversity," Daniels said.
In addition to two days of events, butterfly-friendly plants will be sold for three days starting Friday. Over 170 species of plants will be up for sale, with a selection of 2,500 plants to choose from.
The Museum also announced the launch of three webcams to celebrate this year's Butterflyfest. The Butterfly Rainforest exhibitmay now be streamed live worldwide via these webcams.
"Now we have the opportunity to showcase the exhibit in real-time," Daniels added.
The exhibit is part of the museum's McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, the world's largest research center for the study of butterflies and moths. The center currently houses more than 10 million specimens of butterfly and moths.
There will also be several natural butterfly releases throughout the weekend. Hundreds of Florida-native butterflies will be released, allowing them to begin their migration to the panhandle.
"It's an opportunity for people to see several hundred butterflies being released. These are species that are common and native to north Florida," Daniels explained.
Butterflyfest opens on Saturday and Sunday at 8 AM and will run the entire weekend.