Winnipeggers celebrate nature at Monarch Butterfly Festival

The annual Monarch Butterfly Festival took place over the weekend as the butterfly species faces survival threats.

The Living Prairie Museum welcomed families, nature enthusiasts, and conservation advocates this weekend for the 17th Annual Monarch Butterfly Festival.

On Saturday, the free event featured live butterfly displays, guided prairie walks, crafts, and educational booths from its partner organizations. Attendees also received milkweed plants to help support monarch habitats in their own backyards.

“This is an annual event that we throw to help people come together to celebrate monarch butterflies, flowers, habitats, and our love of nature,” said Marika Oleynik, curator at the Living Prairie Museum.

Oleynik explained that monarch populations are difficult to assess during the summer due to their wide dispersal.

“They all fly back to Mexico in the winter, and that’s when we find out how the numbers are doing,” she said.

Climate change is one of the major threats to monarchs, with extreme weather and habitat loss impacting their survival.

“It can be hotter or drier in their habitat, so they don’t have the food and plants they need,” Oleynik said.

The festival aims to raise awareness and empower the public to act.

“The biggest thing people can do is help create habitat,” she said.

“Planting milkweed and native wildflowers in urban gardens makes a huge difference—not just for monarchs, but for bees and other pollinators too.”

“Monarch butterflies aren’t scary,” Oleynik added with a smile.

“They’re just interested in plants. When they’re caterpillars, they eat milkweed. When they’re butterflies, they drink nectar. They’re not interested in us—except in how we can help them.”