Majestic Monarchs Take Wing Lake Katherine Butterfly Festival Saturday and Sunday

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — Celebrate the incredible migration of the Monarch butterfly this Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Garden, 7350 West College Drive, Palos Heights. The celebration runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

This is Lake Katherine’s biggest event of the year. Enjoy a day filled with educational displays, hands-on activities and family-friendly games.

Admission is $10 (children under 2, free), and includes 15 minutes in the butterfly tent, a visit with animal guests, a crafting area, and hayride around the grounds. Add $5 if you wish to release a butterfly. Children must be 5 years or older to release a butterfly. Register for Saturday, Sept. 20, or Sunday, Sept. 21. This event fills up fast, so reserve a spot now.

Step inside the butterfly tent for an up-close look at these amazing creatures, browse unique finds at the new Makers Market, and take part in fall-themed fun like building your own scarecrow.

While the monarch population has dropped over the past 20 years, the eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubled in 2025, according to a new report announced in Mexico. The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter. While monarchs occupied nearly twice as much forest habitat as last year, populations remain far below the long-term average, the World Wildlife Organization reported.

Still, the majestic butterfly faces several threats, largely because of 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. Climatic variations in the monarch’s breeding areas in Canada and the United States have also affected the population.