DELIGHTED AT MONARCH FESTIVAL

During the 18th annual Monarch Festival at Lake Nokomis Recreation Center on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, attendees celebrated the monarch butterfly’s 2,300-mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with music, food, dance, hands-on art, native plant sales, and opportunities to get up close with monarch butterflies, learn about their habitats, and learn what they can do to make a difference. The festival is held near the Naturescape, an official Monarch Waystation and National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat site located on Lake Nokomis at 50th St. and Nokomis Parkway. Gardens with milkweed and other pollinator-friendly plants may be part of the reason why the monarch population increased by 64 percent this year, according to the World Wildlife Fund. (Photo by Jeremy Peyer)