Monarch Butterfly Festival at Paul Smith’s College VIC

Annual butterfly fest on Labor Day Weekend in the Adirondacks.

Attend the Annual Monarch Fest at Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) celebrating the magnificent monarch butterfly and other beautiful Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths).

This free, family-friendly event is packed with activities highlighting these extraordinary creatures' importance.

Monarch Butterfly Fest activities.

• Monarch Parade: Dress in your best monarch attire and join the parade

• Monarch Tagging Demonstrations: Learn about the tagging process and its importance for conservation

• Pollinator Garden Tours: Explore Paul Smith’s VIC gardens with a native plant expert and discover plants that support butterflies

• Children’s Crafts: Engage kids with fun and educational craft activities

• Tagging demonstrations

• Scavenger Hunt: Enjoy a nature-themed scavenger hunt for all ages

• Live Book Reading: Attend a special reading session

• Coloring Activities: A relaxing and creative space for kids to color and learn about butterflies.

Learn why monarch butterflies matter.

In 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature added the migratory monarch butterfly, known for its flight to California and Mexico during the winter, to its “Red List,” a compilation of endangered animals.

The native populations of this butterfly have shrunk by at least 22% in the past decade due to numerous factors, including deforestation, pesticides, and climate change.

Pesticides and herbicides used in large-scale agriculture kill butterflies and milkweed, the plants that adults and larvae feed on and depend on. Drought, wildfires, and extreme weather and temperatures caused by climate change damage and kill many monarchs as well.

Paul Smith’s VIC brings you Monarch Fest every Labor Day weekend to celebrate these beautiful and extraordinary creatures (“Adirondack” monarchs migrate about 3,000 miles to their wintering grounds).

The beautiful monarch butterfly.

Celebrate the Monarchs of the Adirondacks with Paul Smith’s VIC and support the conservation of pollinators.

Visit the event website for more information.

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