Burpee Museum Monarch Festival

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

Illinois Insects: Learn about the life cycles of different insects, including butterflies, beetles, bees, and ants!

Pollination: Discover pollinators like bees, butterflies, and moths play a crucial role in our ecosystem.

Fossil Insects & Arthropods: Understand the challenges faced by various insect species and what we can do to help protect them.

Insect Habitats and Gardens

Lawns to Waystations: See examples of insect hotels that provide shelter for beneficial insects and learn how to create one at home.

How Insects Survive Winter: Insects have a variety of methods for surviving the coldness of winters.

Life Cycles and Migration:  Migration is one strategy for escaping the killing temperatures. The Monarch Butterfly is the foremost example of this maneuver, but other insects migrate into northern areas from the southern states in the Spring. Crop pests are the most obvious of these migrants.

Arts, Crafts, and Interactive Exhibits

Bug Crafts: Create your own insect-themed art, including wings, masks, and antennae.

Insect Creativity: Color and create your own unique butterfly, moth, beetle or other insect!

Insect Petting Zoo: Get up close and personal with live insects, including beetles, butterflies, and cockroaches.

Microscope Exploration: Examine insects under microscopes to see their incredible structures up close.

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: Discover the new art created by Susan Burton and Kids Kamp attendees throughout Burpee celebrating creatures like butterflies and cicadas!

-Local Partnerships: With the help of the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, the Nature Nook is a place to play and to learn containing native plants to support an ecosystem that supports wildlife in the heart of Rockford's Downtown!

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!