JAMESTOWN, N.Y. – Be prepared for magic at Audubon Community Nature Center’s Monarch Butterfly Festival, Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can wear brightly colored clothes to attract the Monarchs in the indoor butterfly garden where you can hand-feed them and observe their life cycle, examine their tiny eggs and hold caterpillars. Watch citizen scientists tag them to track their migration to Mexico when they are released at 4 p.m.
Getting your picture taken as a giant caterpillar or butterfly is just one of many photo opportunities you won’t want to miss.
You can use a net to catch insects around the pond, do crafts, go on a nature hike, attend mini-programs on butterflies and enjoy the acoustic music of Alyssa Wismar.
Resident birds of prey Cricket, an American Kestrel, and Soren, a Red-tailed Hawk, greet visitors in their outdoor habitats.
3 C’s food truck and Pup Soda, a pop up soda stand serving customized sodas, lemonades and boba, will be onsite. Vendors will sell butterfly-themed items, and Audubon’s Blue Heron Gift Shop will have a wide selection of family-friendly gifts to choose from.
This day-long educational festival celebrates the life and beauty of one of the best-known native butterflies. Monarchs face ongoing population problems due to habitat loss and other threats, including an increased use of pesticides by homeowners and farmers.
Audubon raises more than 100 Monarchs each year to help boost their population and hosts the Festival to educate the public about this unique butterfly species. Tour the outdoor butterfly garden and learn how to create one of your own.
Festival admission is $12, or $9 for Nature Center members and children ages 3–15. Two and under are free, as is parking.
At Butterflies and Brews, an adults-only version of the Festival on Friday, Aug. 25, from 6 – 9 p.m., participants can learn about the life cycle and migration of the Monarch Butterfly while enjoying great food, brews and non-alcoholic beverages. Mazza Winery and 5&20 Spirits and Brewery will be onsite providing complimentary samples of their wines, beer, and spirits.
