Texas State Forest Festival promotes butterflies as pollinators

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - A new entertainment piece was added to the Texas State Forest Festival this year where people can have an up-close encounter with nature.

According to Butterfly Encounter Entertainment Exhibitor David Tominus, butterflies are some of the most important pollinators in the world, outside of honeybees.

So, he decided to join this year’s festival to educate people on their importance.

“With all of the deforestation we’re doing, all of the growth that’s happening in the U.S. on the east coast and the west coast, it’s really causing a lot of problems for nature itself to be able to adapt to the environment that we’re actually destroying,” he said.

Tominus said the main objective in bringing butterflies is to feed them. He said it’s necessary to protect the environment in order for the food sources butterflies prefer to survive, and the more pollinators we have the more plants we have.

Then, the more plants we have the more food and clothes we’re able to have.

He said at the end of the fair, he’ll release the butterflies to promote repopulation and pollination.

Copyright 2023 KTRE. All rights reserved.