This Saturday, visitors of the Florida Museum of Natural History can learn about how butterflies inspired medieval artists.
The museum is hosting its 11th annual ButterflyFest on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free event is open to all ages and will offer workshops about the role butterflies play in the ecosystem and activities such as live butterfly releases. Regular admission prices for the butterfly rainforest exhibit will still apply.
“It’s a celebration of pollinators,” said Kaitlin Gardiner, the marketing and public relations coordinator for the museum. “I think people underestimate the importance of pollinators to the environment and to not only us as humans, but plants and animals out there.”
The Society for Creative Anachronism Inc., an international nonprofit that researches and recreates the arts and skills of pre-17th-century Europe, will be at the event for the first time this year.
The group will discuss beekeeping in the Middle Ages and how butterflies inspired medieval artists, Gardiner said.
Monica Martinez, 20, remembers watching a butterfly release when she visited the exhibit with her friend.
The UF psychology junior said she’s never been to the festival but is considering going.
“I’m probably going to convince some of my friends to come with me and nerd out,” she said.
