5th annual monarch butterfly fest offers interactive fun for kids

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - The fifth annual monarch butterfly festival offered an interactive experience for families and kids Sunday afternoon at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in downtown Rockford.

The museum hatches their own butterflies and then releases them into the wild to migrate south for the winter.

Kids entered a screened-in tent with dozens of monarch butterflies and flowers where they could let a monarch crawl into their hands.

Director of Education at the museum, Maria Chiaberta says the event is the perfect opportunity for kids to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly.

“You see insects and butterflies in the wild and some people have a fear of insects which makes it harder to interact with them, or you’re afraid to interact with them because they’re so delicate,” Chiaberta said. “But, being here at the museum, they were actually able to learn a lot more and be able to touch, hold, and feel these creatures which kind of made things a little more exciting and fun for kids.”