Many of the youngsters had never seen a butterfly up close, let alone touched or fed it.
So, for a few dozen kids at Douglas Park on Thursday morning, their first real encounter with a bunch of baby butterflies was awe inspiring and exciting.
In fact, squeals and screeches of delight could be heard emanating from the bandshell, as library tech Julie Penner – with the children’s help – released the insects into the wild.
The butterflies had called the library home for the past three weeks, making their metamorphosise from larva or caterpillar to chrysalis, to Painted Lady butterflies in a spot near the front of the library, where adults and kids alike could see.
Most of them hatched late last week, in plenty of time for the library’s annual release, said Penner, who was pleased to see all 24 of them hatched.
“Not all of them do,” she said.
Today’s festivities kicked off with children colouring and cutting out butterfly masks at the library.
That was followed by a procession, lead by Penner and the butterflies, to Douglas Park. There, with the aid of some tasty watermelon, the butterflies were coaxed out of their mesh habitat and slowly released.
Late last month, the Langley City Library had Langley Field Naturalist Al Grass in to speak about the various butterflies that can be found in this community.
He shed light on the behaviours of the beautiful creatures, and offered tips on how to entice them into backyards and balconies.
