EmilyAnn Gardens is busy preparing for its 23rd annual Butterfly Festival, which will be held on April 15.
This year, Emily-Ann’s staff and volunteers raised 5,675 caterpillars which will eventually turn into butterflies — a new record for the festival. The caterpillars are being distributed to 250 classrooms in the area.
The Master Naturalists play a large part in preparing the food to nurture the caterpillars, placing five grams of food and one caterpillar in individual containers. These containers are put into cages, which are distributed to schools in the Wimberley area. Students will observe the caterpillars consuming the food for 10–12 days before the caterpillars start to spin their chrysalis. The caterpillars will remain there until they break out and take their first flight as a butterfly.
