Five-year-old Allie Fowler excitedly showed Valerie Blaine a photo of a monarch butterfly her family raised last year, one of 100 of the vivid orange and black species they released, as it sat on her finger.
“One of the butterflies was my friend and stayed with me for 10 minutes,” Allie told Blaine as the two bonded over their love of monarch butterflies at the inaugural Monarchs and Milkweed Festival hosted by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles.
Blaine, nature program manager for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, thanked Allie and her mother, Ashley, for helping increase the numbers of the at-risk butterfly. Saturday’s festival was all about raising awareness to the plight of native pollinators, Blaine said.
Native plants and pollinators are in trouble due to the loss of habitats, Blaine said. The steady decline has affected pollinators, such as the monarch butterfly and the rusty patched bumble bee, which became an endangered species last year, she said. Bees and other insects help pollinate foods like blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, pumpkins, vanilla, and almonds, according to the Pollinator Partnership.
The monarch was center stage Saturday because it is a symbol of the challenges pollinators face, Blaine said.
“Everyone thinks they are beautiful and people recognize it,” she said.
The monarch’s migration route goes from Canada to Mexico, she said. Monarch caterpillars are picky eaters and only eat milkweed, she said. But milkweed is considered an undesirable weed, so property owners use pesticides to get rid of it, she said.
“We are encouraging people to grow natural plants like milkweed to help restore habitats,” Blaine said.
The Fowler family has milkweed on its property where monarch butterflies lay their eggs, Ashley Fowler said. She regularly gathers the eggs, placing them in a safe place until they become caterpillars. It is not hard to grow monarchs, but it does take some dedication because they require daily feeding as caterpillars, she said.
Phillis Nowicki, of Campton Township, came to the festival with the Butterflies and Dragonflies Club, a club is for adults with disabilities and their parents. Her daughter, Caitlin, did a craft showing the life cycle of a monarch butterfly.
Nowicki wanted Caitlin and her friends to learn about monarchs because the club is going to start raising butterflies later this year.
“I like how it turns into a beautiful butterfly,” Caitlin said, as she looked at a caterpillar she made with craft supplies.
The festival featured art, crafts, food, music, guided hikes, and a butterfly catch. Naturalists were also on hand to help families learn how to grow native plans. Families received free milkweed plants.
