University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Press Release
More than 2,500 are expected to attend the 9th Annual Butterfly Festival hosted by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society and the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. The event is scheduled for Saturday, September 28, at the UT Arboretum, and gates will open at 9:30 a.m.
The festivities will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Plenty of activities will provide educational opportunities for the public to learn how we can all protect butterflies and other pollinators.
Kevin Hoyt, director of the UT Forest Resources Center and Arboretum, invites everyone to come for a fun day of educational activities. “This family-oriented event will feature butterfly tents and the UT Insect Zoo as well as children’s crafts, artisans and other vendors and food trucks.” Hoyt adds that butterfly releases will no longer be part of the event and that guests are asked to leave pets and butterfly nets at home.
A free pollinator plant will be provided by Tennessee Naturescapes for each family as long as the supply lasts and additional pollinator plants will be available for purchase. Food vendors and craft vendors will be on site to add to the fun and entertainment!
Educational presentations will take place inside the air-conditioned auditorium. Lucas Coe-Starr will speak at 10 a.m. on “Fall Bird Migration in East Tennessee.” Stephen Lyn Bales will speak at 10:50 am on “The Mystery of Monarchs.”
The UT Arboretum will be closed for parking to regular visitors on the day of the Butterfly Festival until 3 p.m. The regular parking lot is closed, and all parking areas will be dedicated to the Butterfly Festival. This change is being implemented for the safety of Butterfly Festival visitors and staff.
The entrance fee is $5 in cash (to facilitate entry) per carload. All other expenses can be made with cash or credit card. Children’s craft activities will be available at a cost of a $1 per ticket per activity or $10 for all ten crafts. The event will take place rain or shine.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.
