All things “butterfly” is the focus of the Kansas Wetlands Education Center’s annual Butterfly Festival.

From making milkweed seed bombs to tagging monarch butterflies, kids and adults will find plenty to do during the festival set for 9 a.m. ’til noon September 15, 2018, in the Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC), 592 NE K-156 Highway, Great Bend, Kansas.

Nets and tags will be available for those who want to capture and tag monarch butterflies (see photo, above left). Participants will receive information about the tagging process before heading out with a tagging leader to search for Monarch butterflies.

Kids (and adults) can play in the mud and make a seed bomb, composed of clay, compost, water and native flower seeds, to take home. Road Trips Gardeners can get in some practice by slinging premade milkweed seed bombs into KWEC’s prairie area using giant slingshots.

Find your inner insect by taking your photo at monarch butterfly and caterpillar photo boards. Refuel with light refreshments and drinks. Temporary tattoos, games and other activities (including a puppet show by StoneLion Puppet Theatre) round out the morning’s activities.

Information on butterfly-friendly plants and other attractants will be available, and visitors may also walk through the wildflower/butterfly garden to view examples of butterfly-friendly plants.

(Photo courtesy of Kansas Wetlands Education Center)