Muncie residents and Ball State University students can get a taste of nature as the weather turns cooler by attending the Minnetrista Cultural Center’s butterfly programs starting Thursday.
“These are new programs we have just released for our fall schedule, and I think they will be something the entire family would enjoy,” Relations Specialist Jessica Myric said.
“Butterflies of Indiana,” the first event on Sept. 8 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., will showcase butterflies commonly found in East Central Indiana, along with others from around the country.
“We will talk about host plants that butterflies are normally attracted to, and if it isn’t too dark, we may try to catch some of them,” family programs educator Karen Ailes said. Some other topics include the insect’s diet and the metamorphosis process that occurs in spring. The informational butterfly class is free for members of Minnetrista and $5 for non-members.
The second class, “Monarch Tagging,” features a journey through Minnetrista’s 40 acres of land. During this meeting, Minnetrista naturalist Robin Dungan will explain how to identify the monarch butterfly, safely catch one and tag it for future scientific research. The program also will explain why tagging monarchs is important for scientific data and research. Before leaving to tag the butterflies, participants will make their own butterfly nets.
The class will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sept. 17 and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m Sept. 18. Interested parties should meet at the Minnetrista Cultural Center, and the price is $5 per person for members and $10 a person for non-members.
The third and final event, “Putting the Garden to Bed,” will take place from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 23. and is focused more on young children than adults. During the spring and early summer, a group of children ranging from four to seven years old planted vegetables in Minnetrista’s gardens.
“We made this follow-up program to let the children go and harvest the work they did earlier this year,” Ailes said. Students also will discuss how to get the garden ready for winter using different techniques, such as trench compost. “Putting the Garden to Bed” is free for Minnetrista members and $5 for non-members.
Minnestrista’s vision is to create a cultural awareness of heritage in East Central Indiana. It achieves this goal using a $3.2 million annual budget, 40-acre campus and service to a population of 434,881 people in seven counties.
Minnetrista holds hundreds of events discussing nature, history, gardens and art. ��
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