Kids & Family
Monarchs Take Wing At Oak Lawn Park District's Butterfly Fest
Celebrate the king of the butterflies this Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Oak Lawn Park District's Monarch Festival, for some buggy fun.
OAK LAWN, IL -- Celebrate the mystical king of butterflies before they wing their way to Pacific coast for the winter. Oak Lawn Park District’s popular Monarch Festival returns this Saturday, September 15. The festival runs 2 to 5 p.m. at the Oak View Center, 4625 W. 110th St. Admission is free.
This Illinois Parks and Recreation Association Special Event Award-winning festival is designed to bring some much needed awareness to the issues that Monarch butterflies face today. Participants will learn how to assist in the preservation of the Monarch butterfly species and the environment. This fun family event features live butterfly tagging, a bug zoo, caterpillar aquarium, butterfly arts and crafts for kids, an interactive puppet theatre, live music, a movie in the theatre and much more.
In the past 20 years the monarch population has dropped a billion to 30 million, largely due to habitat destruction. Monarch caterpillars feed and lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed, but the colorful flower is rapidly disappearing from the countryside due to the overuse of herbicides and decline of the native prairie.
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The Monarch Butterfly Festival is generously sponsored by Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant Mary Beth Swibes. For more information, call 708-857-2200.
Photo: Lake Katherine Nature Center
Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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