Visit Essex County’s “Butterfly Tent Safari” Interactive Display This Month – TAPinto.net

ROSELAND, NJ — The public is invited to experience the “Butterfly Tent Safari,” an interactive display where visitors can observe hundreds of butterflies while walking through a tent, throughout July at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland.

Events will be held from Saturday, July 13 to Saturday, July 27, on Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The safari is closed on Sundays.

A $2 admission is suggested per person, with all proceeds going toward the Essex County Parks Foundation in support of future educational programs.

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“The Butterfly Tent Safari at the Essex County Environmental Center is an interactive display of live native butterflies for families to observe and enjoy,” said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. “Spend your time in the tent feeding the butterflies or simply marveling at their beauty and delicate nature. Listen to a story, make butterfly crafts, or just take some time to witness the magnificence of nature at our Environmental Center.”

In addition to the public viewing times, the environmental center is offering butterfly-themed family programs that include access to the butterfly tent on Saturdays, July 13, 20 and 27.

The cost of the family programs is $10 per child and $12 per adult. Pre-registration is required. Participation in these programs also includes time in the butterfly tent.

The schedule is as follows:

  • Saturday, July 13 at 12:30 p.m. Appropriate for children ages 3 to 5 years. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” will take participants on a butterfly parade around the trails and learn about a day in the life of a monarch butterfly.
     
  • Saturday, July 20 at 10:30 a.m. Appropriate for children ages 5 and older. “Buzz into Action with Insect Education” is a family fun and hands on presentation about bugs and butterflies.
     
  • Saturday, July 27 at noon. Appropriate for adults and children ages 8 years and older. “Butterfly Gardening Workshop” will be led by Essex County Rutgers Master Gardener Jean Greeley, who will talk about butterfly gardening.
     
  • Throughout the month of July, “Bold, Brilliant Butterflies of Northern New Jersey,” a photography exhibit by Janet Markman, will be on display at the Essex County Environmental Center.

The Essex County Environmental Center is located at 621B Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland. For information about the Butterfly Tent Safari, call the Essex County Environmental Center at 973-228-8776.