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The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is celebrating monarchs, one of the most beautiful and beloved pollinators, this weekend at its first annual Monarch Festival, presented by Simple Truth.  The Festival starts at 10 a.m. and includes monarch-themed activities, displays, hands-on learning, a parade (at noon), and a monarch tag and release.

“I’m most excited about the migration parade, where children of all ages will ‘migrate’ from Canada and the United States to the Mexican forest where monarchs overwinter,” said Cincinnati Zoo COO and parade grand monarch, Dave Jenike. “The symbolic migration will help people understand the important role they can play to help monarchs make it to their destination, which can be as much as a 3,000-mile journey and involves 4 generations of butterflies.”

Children are encouraged to wear their favorite pollinator costumes and accessories for the parade!  They will be given an origami monarch to sign and affix to trees in the forest.

This fun and educational event will highlight the Zoo’s leadership and commitment to pollinator conservation in the region and all aspects of the Zoo’s Pollen Nation program, especially its Plant for Pollinators Challenge.*  The Zoo launched the challenge in March with the goal to have 500 registered gardens by the end of 2019.  As of today, 840 gardens have been registered!!

The Monarch Festival is free with Zoo admission. The Zoo opens daily at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.  Cincinnati Zoo members enjoy early entry at 9 a.m.  For more information visit www.cincinnatizoo.org.

*special thanks to Simple Truth for supporting Pollen Nation and the Plant for Pollinators Challenge