The seasons are changing, and monarch butterflies will soon be migrating south. But there are plenty of ways Chicagoans can celebrate and help save the endangered pollinators.
Local Preservation Efforts
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District gives free milkweed seeds, a host plant for monarch butterflies, to Cook County residents who fill out a pledge.
The Illinois Monarch Project seeks to plant 150 million new milkweed stems in the state by 2038. Creating a Route 66 Monarch Flyway from Chicago to St. Louis is one of the efforts the org is working on.
Women for Green Spaces is the brainchild of Pilsen resident Claudia Galeno-Sanchez. The group educates about monarch butterfly preservation by giving out native plants and sharing butterfly garden building tips.
Claudia Galeno-Sanchez in 2022 at her Pilsen home that she turned into a butterfly sanctuary. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)
Monarch Butterfly Celebrations
- 🦋 Family fun in River Forest Saturday
- 🦋 Festival de la Monarca in East Chicago, Indiana, Sept. 16
- 🦋 Fest in Westmont Sept. 23
