Monarch Festival 9/12/15

7th Annual Minneapolis Monarch Festival

        Today I attended the Monarch Festival in Nokomis! It was an awesome event, and I was glad to see all the people, kids and adults alike, learning about Monarchs. 

It was a great turnout!

        There were lots of tents set up all around the park run by lots of different organizations, including the University of Minnesota. There were games and crafts for kids, food vendors, educational fliers and pamphlets, and tons of Monarch merchandise. I picked up as much information as possible, because I still have much to learn. I was able to sign up for updates on conservation and migration, so I can relay the information through my blog. 

Information was everywhere, and I took all that was offered.

Live music kept everyone upbeat.

Not only was it about saving Monarchs, but other pollinators as well.

Even dragonflies.

Lots of gardeners and botanists were educating people about milkweed and butterfly flowers.

And there was even a Monarch stilt walker!

        I spoke to one of the organizers of he event who took my information to help me get involved! Next year I am going to try and become a part of the festival, showing off photography, and explaining what I do. Also after reading through all of the information I collected I discovered how I can start tagging Monarchs and be involved with research. As I begin registering and researching I will be sharing with you the process of it all, and links to websites to do some of it yourself. 

        All in all I loved the festival, it was educational and fun, and everyone was very friendly. I will be using what I learned to teach others at my local park about the importance of Monarchs and other pollinators and why they need to be protected. If you are interested in visiting the festival next year you can go monarchfestival.org or keep an eye on my blog for more information.

Finally Posting 9/3/15

No More Butterflies

        I have really been slacking on blogging, haven't I? In the time between my posts, much has happened. All of my butterflies have been successfully released! 

On August 20, a beautiful male was released.

On August 22, another gorgeous male flew away.

And another on the 23rd!

On the 28th a female emerged.

        After that I knew the season was coming to a close, and the only ones that remained were my best friend caterpillars. As I was observing them as caterpillars I was noticing a very distinct size difference between them. As they grew older, one was seemingly larger than normal and the other was smaller than normal. I didn't know what that meant for their health, but they both ended up being just fine. Yesterday, September 2, they both emerged, ending my summertime Monarch raising. Appropriately they chose the day of my high school open house, a sign that the seasons are changing!

A stunning female.

And an amazing male.

And they are still best friends :)

        So there were officially 29 releases this year, 13 in my first round, and 16 in the second. I'm kind of wishing it was 30, but maybe next year! This does not mean you have to wait until June for more blogs! I will be blogging for sure again on September 12, after going to the Minneapolis Monarch Festival. If you are interested in attending, it runs from 10am to 4pm on September 12th at 49th St at Woodlawn Blvd, Minneapolis, MN. For more information visit monarchfestival.org

        I am sad that I don't have anymore butterflies, but the research doesn't stop. I will be tracking the migration and giving facts and raising tips all winter long on this blog so that it continues to grow. I am sorry about the delay between my posts recently! Hopefully they will remain more regular once again. Until next time :)