Welcome to the Monarch Festival, a special event day at Burpee dedicated to celebrating the fascinating world of insects! This family-friendly event will feature a wide variety of activities, exhibits, and hands-on learning centered around monarch butterflies and other incredible bugs.

Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:

Activities and Attractions

Educational Booths

  • Life Cycles & Migration: Learn about the monarch life cycle and migration journey. See migration maps and life cycle diagrams.
  • Insect Champions: See insects’ strength and biomechanics
  • Camouflage: Understand camouflage and mimicry in insects
  • Lawns to Way Stations: Transforming lawns into monarch/pollinator habitats

Insect Habitats and Gardens

  • Butterfly Gardens: Explore the areas around our museum specifically designed to attract and support butterflies and other pollinators.  See if you can spot any!
  • Nature Nook: See our newly updated nature nook!

Arts, Crafts, and Interactive Exhibits

  • Butterfly Metamorphosis: Create a foldable book
  • Insect Camouflage Art: Design and color insects to camouflage in different environments
  • Videos, diagrams, and hands-on stations 

Cultural and Community Involvement

A key aspect of the Monarch Festival is promoting awareness and action towards insect conservation. The event will highlight the importance of insects and involve the local community through:

  • Community Art Projects: Don’t forget to take your crafts home and show the people show them your foldable book or have them guess where your camouflaged insect is at!
  • Local Group Interest: Conservation and garden groups will enjoy the nature nook for prairie grasses and plants.

Join us for a day of fun, education, and celebration at the Monarch Festival, where we honor the incredible diversity and importance of the insect world!