By Miles Hilton
Visit the Audubon Community Nature Center this Saturday for the annual Monarch Butterfly Festival, a celebration of a beloved and endangered species. The day-long celebration begins at 10am, with a variety of “indoor and outdoor butterfly-related festivities and educational opportunities”. Of special interest is the ‘butterfly room’, a space in the nature center which will be filled with butterflies, creating an indoor ‘butterfly garden’ – and a great opportunity for a photo op.
Visitors can also take a hike on the land, visit the ACNC’s pollinator garden, learn about the Monarch’s lifecycle – including opportunities to hold a caterpillar and investigate butterfly eggs – or enjoy live music, vendors, and a food truck.
Adults seeking to get a head-start on the celebrations can attend “Butterflies and Brews” on Friday, from 6 to 9pm. Participants “can learn about the life cycle and migration of the Monarch Butterfly while enjoying some great food and brews”, sipping beer and non-alcoholic beverages while enjoying the ‘butterfly room’, butterfly tagging, and a raffle. “Butterflies and Brews” will also feature samples from Mazza Winery and 5&20 Spirits and Brewery. Proceeds go “directly towards supporting Audubon’s Monarch Butterfly research and educational programming”.
Monarch butterflies are listed as endangered due to “habitat loss and other threats including an increased use of pesticides by home owners and farmers”. A common and beloved sight in Chautauqua gardens, these migratory butterflies spend summers in the eastern United States before traveling up to 3,000 miles to overwinter in mountainous regions of Mexico. To boost Monarch populations, the ACNC raises over 100 Monarch butterflies every year, which will be released at 4pm on Friday at the end of the festival.