One of the new exhibits at the Steele County Free Fair is the Butterfly House. It's the only traveling butterfly exhibit where you can feed the butterflies. As you enter you'll be given a stick with nectar on it. The display is located right in front of the Auto Museum and features over 200 butterflies. Monarchs, painted ladies and blue swallows are among the types on display.

Jeannie who is one of the owners is a retired nurse. She explains that while tending her father in hospice care, he stated that nothing dies, it just changes like the butterfly. I sort of provided her with impetus to go ahead and start the butterfly house. She mentioned that she also used to feed butterflies with Q tips and sugar water as a child.

So, how do you transport 200 butterflies? The butterflies are placed in a cooler with dry ice. As a result the butterflies go into a type of sleep or suspended animation. Then when they're released you blow warm air on them and that helps them to wake back up.

By the way, do you know how to tell the sex of a butterfly? The male monarch has two small black dots on their back wings. The females don't have the dots.

Check it out as it's one of the brand new exhibits at this summer's Steele County Free Fair. And please take note of all the pots of flowers in the exhibit. I counted at least 60 of them. Credit for all of these lovely baskets for the butterflies goes to Michelle Warner. Whew! That's a lot of work.

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