Monarch Festival expected to draw upwards of 8,000 visitors

From Minnesota to Michoacan

By MARGIE O'LOUGHLIN

Monarch butterflies can’t survive our long Minnesota winters. How do they know when it’s time to migrate to their winter home nearly 2,300 miles away? The monarch migration is driven by seasonal changes, such as the days becoming shorter and the temperatures dropping.

No other butterflies migrate like the monarchs of North America. West of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs over-winter along the southern coast of California. Our Minnesota monarchs over-winter in the mountain forests of pine and oyamel fir, along the border of the states of Michoacán and Mexico. Monarchs are the only butterflies that make such a long, two-way migration every year.

When the late-summer and early-fall monarchs emerge from their pupae, they are different from those emerging earlier in the season. Instead of mating or laying eggs, their delicate bodies start to prepare for the long journey ahead. They must drink a lot of nectar from milkweed and other butterfly food-source plants, which will help them put on the fat necessary to fly such a great distance.

They fly in huge numbers to the same roosting spots every year, sometimes even landing in the same trees as previous migrations. It isn’t clear how monarchs know to return to the same wintering sites as their ancestors, but their flight patterns seem to be inherited. This would be amazing if it were one butterfly making the journey from beginning to end, but it is the monarchs’ great-great-grandchildren that complete this cycle of migration.

GARDEN IS SAFE HAVEN FOR MONARCHS

The Nokomis Naturescape is a 4-acre garden on the northeast shore of Lake Nokomis containing plants native to our area and friendly to songbirds, beneficial insects and pollinators. It was created by community member Vicki Bonk and a team of dedicated volunteers in 1998, and has grown to include a wide variety of native flowers, trees and shrubs.

Stopping by the garden in midsummer, you’ll hear buzzing pollinators and be surrounded by flowering plants, many more than 5’ tall. The garden has been designated as a Monarch Way Station by Monarch Watch, a national organization that works for the conservation of monarchs and their habitat. Signs in the garden state, “This site provides milkweeds, nectar sources and shelter needed to sustain monarch butterflies as they migrate thorough North America. Create, conserve and protect monarch habitat.”

Consider stopping by the Naturescape on a Tuesday night May thru October from 6-8:30pm to volunteer. All levels of experience are welcome, and it’s a great place to learn more about gardening with native plants.

If you’re interested in creating a butterfly garden in your own yard, look for some of the following plants at nurseries that carry varieties: purple coneflower, dill, hollyhock joe-pye weed, turtlehead, swamp milkweed, yarrow, queen Anne’s lace, butterfly weed, autumn joy sedum, nasturtium and goldenrod.

If you want to choose one plant to start with, plant milkweed. There are several varieties, such as butterfly weed, that are mid-size, bloom from summer until fall, and would fit beautifully into any garden. Even on a small urban lot, you can be a valuable part of the safe haven corridor for migrating monarchs.

RETURN OF THE MONARCH!

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association will once again host the Minneapolis Monarch Festival, to be held near the Nokomis Naturescape on Sat., Sept. 6, from 10am-4pm.

The Naturescape is located at the intersection of Woodlawn Blvd., E. 50th St. and E. Lake Nokomis Pkwy.

The festival offers all kinds of great local food, music from salsa to American folk, education and art activities, the Kids Butterfly Fun Runs and lots more.

What do all these things have to do with each other?

They celebrate the Minnesota - Mexico connection that the Monarch butterflies creates along their annual migration path.

You can check out the stage line-up by visiting www.monarchfestival.org. Among the annual favorites, the Kalpulli Ketzal Coatilcue Aztec Dance group will return (11-15am-12:10pm), performing in their spectacular native Aztec costumes.

Other performers are Mariachi Mi Tierra (10-10:55am), The Shiny Lights (12:30-1:25pm), Salsa Del Soul (1:45-2:40pm) and Chico Chavez and the Guayaba Tropical Band (3-4pm).

New this year, the Heart of the Beast Theater will have a performance tent.

Also returning will be the portable dance stage with dance instructors teaching bluesy, Caribbean and sweet Salsa moves starting at 1pm. There will be art activities as well as games such as Monarch Bingo (La Loteria), Monarch Migration, and Monarch Jeopardy.

Native plants will be available for sale, and you can stop by the Monarch Education tent

to learn about the butterfly and their environs from the U of M Monarch lab.

Make sure you also check the website for a full schedule of Butterfly Fun Runs for kids from ages under 3 to ages 10-12. You can register the day of the event.

The Minneapolis Monarch Festival, Festival de la Monarca in Spanish, began as a one-time event six years ago that drew a few hundred participants, according to MaryLynn Pulsch of the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. Attendance has grown consistently and this year 8,000-10,000 participants are anticipated. “People tend to come early and stay for the whole day”, she continued, “so plan accordingly for parking.”

The Festival takes place alongside the Nokomis Naturescape, a series of native grass and wildflower gardens which have been certified nationally as a Monarch Way Station. The gardens contain annual and perennial plants that provide habitat and food sources essential to the survival of monarch butterflies.

Note: Because of continued flooding and extensive turf and plant damage in the Naturescape area, the Festival is moving to higher ground—to the east of the Community Center, near the intersection of Woodlawn Blvd. and 49th St. Please check the website for the latest information before you come (www.monarchfestival.org).