The flutter of hundreds of monarch butterflies brought families and nature lovers to Lake Katherine Nature Center in Palos Heights Sept. 19-20 for the annual Monarch Butterfly Celebration & Maker’s Market.
The two-day celebration featured the popular butterfly tent, where visitors walked among hundreds of monarchs as the butterflies prepared for their migration to Mexico.
The event also gave visitors a chance to learn more about monarchs and what they can do to help protect the butterflies.
“It’s so important because it helps to celebrate the monarch butterflies’ migration down to Mexico,” said Gareth Blakesley, director and chief naturalist at Lake Katherine. “It symbolizes what the everyday person can do to help with this journey.”
Milkweed is an important host plant for monarchs, providing a place for them to lay their eggs and giving caterpillars the food they need after hatching. Common milkweed, butterfly weed and swamp milkweed are among the varieties that can be planted in home gardens.
“Planting things like milkweed, if you get things like this in your garden, you will help the monarch butterfly,” Blakesley said. “Host plants to feed off of.”
The celebration also encouraged visitors to be mindful of how pesticides and other chemicals can affect insects. Blakesley specifically urged people to limit their use of neonicotinoids, a group of insecticides that can harm insects, including pollinators.
“Stress advocacy, try to not overuse neonicotinoids because it impacts insects,” Blakesley said.
Along with the butterfly tent, the weekend included educational displays, hayrides, live animal demonstrations and the Maker’s Market, giving visitors opportunities to spend time outdoors and learn about the natural world around them.
Blakesley said the event was intended to leave visitors with something they could take home, whether it was a new appreciation for monarchs or an idea for making their own yards more welcoming to pollinators.
“Have a few takeaways and enjoy a fun day out,” he said. “It’s a great community experience enjoying being out in nature and in the butterfly tents.”
The annual celebration has become a signature event at Lake Katherine, bringing the community together to experience the monarch migration while learning more about the butterflies and their habitat.
