Northeast Tarrant County KIwanis Club
2026 Kiwanis Butterfly Festival @ Keller Lion's DenSeptember 26th to 27th
Enjoy a walk with hundreds of butterflies, contained in a 600 square foot tent, along with local flowering plants provided by Mike's Garden Centers. Butterfly experts will be on hand to answer questions from all ages. Watermelon is provided to allow children of all ages the opportunity to feed and interact with the butterflies.
Children and adults have learned much about the habitat of butterflies and their influence on our ecosystem through this festival and many return year after year. This will be our 22nd year to hold the butterfly festival. The weekend event culminates with the release of the butterflies at 5 pm Sunday.
We are excited to present a new vendor, BicBugs, the leading supplier of worldwide unmounted and framed butterfly, moth, beetle, and bug specimens. They are the highest rated insect supply company in the United States.
We are now in Keller and are proud to partner with the Keller Lion's Club again this year.
Buy tickets online or at the event:
Silent Auction:
- We will have a fantastic silent auction this year
- Entry not required to bid
- Ends 4pm on Sunday
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
A special thank you to Mike's Garden Centers for providing our flowers for the last 18 years. Discover Sponsorship Opportunities Here
Butterfly Festival FAQs
- How do I catch a butterfly?
- Butterflies taste with their feet.
- We provide watermelon sticks. Place the watermelon under their feet and if they are hungry they will climb on.
- Can I touch them?
- Yes: We want this to be a learning opportunity and you can get great photos. With a little watermelon juice they will climb on your child's hair, hands, or nose.
- But please don't touch their wings: It hurts them. Please let us know if you need assistance.
- How do they eat? Look carefully and you will be able to see their proboscis(tongue) unroll while they sip watermelon juice.
- What kind of butterflies do you have?
- Painted ladies: Are the easiest butterflies to raise
- Monarchs: Our state butterfly!
- What are those little blue dots on the watermelon?
- Painted ladies are the easiest to breed.
- Sometimes they even lay eggs on the watermelon (see picture).
- If you watch carefully you can even sometimes catch the females laying eggs.
- Can I eat the watermelon?
- Ok, that is a silly question. No one has ever asked that question. Seriously though, 3 and under don't have a second thought about trying to eat the watermelon. Keep a close eye on little ones, that is just gross (see above question).
- How does the release on Sunday work?
- We found the first time we opened the tent, the butterflies didn't want to leave.
- So it isn't a big whooshing release.
- Instead we let each child have a piece of watermelon and take a butterfly outside at 5pm on Sunday.
- Can I take a butterfly home?
- No, we let them go free at the end of the event. We want them to be able to hopefully help repopulate the local population.
- However we do sell butterfly kits for $8. It is a kit with 2 caterpillars and all the food they should need while they are caterpillars.
- I bought a caterpillar kit, how long until it becomes a butterfly?
- They normally make their chrysalis in about a week, and hatch a week after that.
- How do you get the butterflies in the tent?
- Our butterflies are raised on a butterfly farms in Georgia and Utah. The farm lowers their temperature until they hibernate and then ship them via FedEx with dry ice to make sure they are asleep in transport.
