Annual Bee and Butterfly Fest features family-friendly fun

Staff at the Dickinson County Nature Center welcomed visitors Friday afternoon during the annual Dee's Bee and Butterfly Festival. The yearly event helps raise awareness of the important role pollinators of various kinds play in supporting the food chain. One of the core events of the festival is the releasing of tagged monarch butterflies. Dozens upon dozens of the orange and black butterflies are tagged with a small circular sticker bearing a unique identification number. As the insects head south to Mexico during their seasonal migration, families and individuals can check online to see where the butterfly they released was last spotted. Other activities Friday included facepainting, pollinator-themed crafts, games and a demonstration on how honey is extracted from beehives. Youngsters were able to try their hand at using a heated knife to uncap the honeycomb before spinning the comb in a centrifuge to extract the honey. (Photos by Seth Boyes)