Birds, Bees Butterflies Bemidji Hosting 3rd Annual Monarch Butterfly Festival

Birds, Bees, Butterflies Bemidji, in partnership with Bemidji State University’s Sustainability Office, will host the third annual Monarch Butterfly Festival this Saturday at Cameron Park.

The Monarch Butterfly Festival started in 2016 when Mayor Rita Albrecht signed the Monarch Pledge to raise awareness and educate people on the status of monarchs and all pollinators in the Bemidji area. The family-friendly event will have crafts, activities, and prize giveaways. The highlight of the event will be local key-note speaker Allison Snopek-Barta.

“She’s amazing when it comes to her knowledge of all of the local butterflies in our region. So, she’s done a ton of work she’s been recognized by all kinds of regional and national publications and she’ll be speaking, so she’ll be there presenting her work and talking about pollinators,” Erika Bailey-Johnson, Bemidji State University Sustainability Director, said.

People can also expect various food options at the event.

“Erika asked me to put together a list of food that would not be available to us without pollinators and ones that people really don’t think about. So you think of apples and fruits in general, but people don’t realize that without the help of our pollinators we also won’t have access to coffee or chocolate, or things like trail mix, either,” said Alyssa Hauser, a student worker Bemidji State University’s Sustainability Office.

Some foods that people can expect at the festival include trail mix, chocolate and honey. The event usually takes place right around the time of the monarch butterfly migration. The aim Johnson says is to inspire and educate people to make a difference.

The event will be held Saturday, September 7th at 1 PM.