SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Zoo will host its 9th annual Monarch Fest this weekend.
The festival, which celebrates the migration and milkweed of monarch butterflies, will include classes, giveaways and other activities on Saturday and Sunday.
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Here is the schedule of events for both days:
- 9-9:30 a.m.: Cowboy Photo Op – Great Lawn
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Seed Giveaway (First 250) – Great Lawn
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Plant Chat – Great Lawn
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Monarch Practice Tagging – Great Lawn. Learn how to hold butterflies and tag them with identification stickers properly. Zoo Crew will guide guests through the process using butterfly nets and laminated paper butterflies for practice.
- 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Pollinator or Not Game – Great Lawn. Guests are shown 10 different animals and are asked to guess which ones act as pollinators and which do not. The game teaches that many animals, not just bees and butterflies, can act as pollinators!
- Noon-4 p.m.: Monarch Character Photo Op – Roaming
- 2-2:30 p.m.: Animal Ambassador Presentation – Great Lawn
- 4:30-5 p.m.: Cowboy Dance Party – Great Lawn
Access to the festival is included with standard zoo admission. Guests can pay an extra $4 to get into the John & Greli Less Butterfly Rainforest and $6 for the Project Selva 4D Theater Showing.
“Guests of all ages can participate in educational games and crafts and learn how to help save the monarch butterfly population,” the zoo said in a news release.
San Antonio is the first city to earn the Monarch Champion designation from the National Wildlife Foundation. By doing this, the city has helped the monarch population by dedicating space to monarch habitats, displaying educational signage, and more.
Click here for more information about the event. The zoo’s Giants of the Ice Age exhibit will also be on display this weekend, and general admission includes access to that. The Giants of the Ice age exhibit is open through May 5.