 Hi, I'm Alicia Woodruff and welcome to the Fort Report. Smell that? That is the smell of spring in the air. No, not the compost pile. Grossology was last week. This week, we're here at the Botanic Garden, where not only is spring in the air, but so are the butterflies. So I'm here with Steve Huddleson, the senior water culturist here at the Botanic Gardens. And Steve, I would love it if you'd tell us a little bit about butterflies in the garden. Well, it's an event that we have every other year, and we feature as many as 12,000 butterflies. And we will release that many over a five-week period during the course of this exhibit. What can people learn from this kind of exhibit? Well, they can learn all about the butterflies themselves, where they come from, their colors, their patterns, and so forth. As people come into the conservatory, they can, of course, see the butterflies. We have a brochure that identifies many of those butterflies. And also, they can see the butterflies emerge from the chrysalis in our pupae palace. So that's an exciting part of the event. When would you say is the best time to come and beat the crowds? Really, the best time would be early in the week, so Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Yes, they'll be less crowded. So I'm here with Dale Clark, and he is one of the Lepiductress here at the Botanic Gardens. And Dale, I have to ask you about how many butterflies are here and where do they all come from? Currently, we probably have released about 3,000 into the conservatory. They come from butterfly farms from all over the world. Philippines, Malaysia, Africa, Central South America, and we'll have a few for my own butterfly farm in Southern Dallas County. Do you have a favorite part of the exhibit? Actually, just, I like letting the butterflies go. We receive them in the pupa stage, and part of my job is pinning those pupas up and waiting for the butterflies to emerge, and then we transfer them into the conservatory in these little collapsible cages and release them. And so it's kind of nice to see them take flight and fly about the conservatory and listen to people who are not about them. The exhibit is open daily through April 8th, and tours run from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. So if you'd like more information on ticket prices, tours, and more, just visit the Botanic Gardens website. And you know, there's more than just butterflies to see at the Botanic Gardens. Tours of the various gardens are available for groups, and there are plenty of special events. Celebrate spring and get a taste of Japanese culture at the Spring Festival in the Japanese Garden, April 28th through the 29th. If being in the garden makes you want to do a little gardening of your own, stop by the Spring Plant Sale, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 21st. And of course, you can find information on these events and many more on the Botanic Gardens website.