2022 Monarch Butterfly Festival

Monarch Butterfly Festival

Back side of card

Monarch butterflies and family fun will take center stage at the Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival on Saturday, October 22, 2022. The Festival will be held at Polly Touchton 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.

Created as a celebration of the City of Dade 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.

Learn new things!

speakers2 2 Mini-presentations scheduled throughout the day will offer tips on how to enjoy wildlife at home, including why it is important to plant native, how to capture butterflies and bees—with any camera, and how to manage yard pests responsibly.

website animal services Community booths staffed by Pasco County Florida Friendly Landscaping, Pasco County Master Gardeners, Pasco County Recycling, Pasco County Animal Services and Pasco County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources will be on hand to meet with the public and share information, resources, and opportunities to enhance their quality of life.

Native plants and more!

Georges plants Shoppers will have their desires satisfied at the event’s eclectic market. A plant sale will feature a large assortment of native plants as well as other perennials, annuals, shrubs, garden art and accessories. The Birds, Bees and Butterflies Committee of the garden club will be selling two varieties of native milkweed and encourages shoppers to come early before this much sought-after plant is sold out. They will also be offering a limited number of a cane begonia variety named "AYA". Although not a butterfly plant, this variety is easy to grow and a great plant to help build confidence in a new gardener. A variety of other vendors will present a unique shopping opportunity with everything from home décor items to handcrafted products to jewelry, honey and more.

Fun for all ages!

child mbf dcgc The Kids’ Zone will be the place to be for family fun at the Festival, where arts and crafts, face painting and games will take center stage. This year’s Kids’ Zone is sponsored by The Touchton Family, whose ancestor, “Miss Polly” Touchton, is the community leader for whom Touchton Park is named. Returning this year will be Dade City’s own Sky High Stilt Walking Monarch butterfly, who will entertain and delight kids of all ages throughout the day. The featured hands-on activities are being presented by the Pasco County Library System, the Poinsettia Circle of the garden club and the Dade City Heritage Museum. Miles the Butterfly will again flutter over to the Festival from his home at the Dade City Heritage Museum and will provide a colorful and fun place for families to gather as they learn about the Monarch butterfly. Delicious Mexican food including tacos and fresh fruit cups as well as pulled pork sandwiches will be available for visitors to enjoy.

Butterfly Release to the gardens

Who doesn’t enjoy seeing beautiful butterflies flying free among Monarch for website gorgeous flowers grown specially to feed and nourish these marvelous creatures?

Well, join us at the Monarch Butterfly Festival in Dade City on Saturday, October 22, 2022, and enjoy the experience! During the festival hours of 10 am to 3 pm, you will be able to learn the full life cycle of local butterflies by visiting our Butterfly Education Tent, brought to us by the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation, and view live butterflies, caterpillars eating and thriving on their tasty host plants and chrysalides waiting to complete their metamorphosis into an adult butterfly! All your questions will be answered by Anita Camacho, President and Founder of Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation, Inc, and North American Butterfly Association – Tampa Bay chapter along with other volunteers from NABA Tampa Bay.
Near the end of the day, weather permitting, we will be releasing the butterflies near the butterfly garden at the Dade City Garden Club, adjacent to the Festival. We hope you will join us as we send these beauties on their way.

flag for the website 2 The ongoing theme highlighted throughout the day is everyone can make a difference! Municipalities, community groups and even individuals can help save the Monarchs by taking a few simples steps. Through our collective efforts, our community can help all pollinators, improve our environment, and make Dade City a better place to live, play and work.