Butterfly Festival at Tommy Thompson Park this Saturday celebrates the beginning of the monarch migration

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

Heads up butterfly lovers! The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is set to host its annual Butterfly Festival at Tommy Thompson Park this Saturday.

Culminating the summer season, the Butterfly Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The one-day free event invites families and butterfly enthusiasts to gather and celebrate the beginning of the monarch butterfly migration journey, which spans 4,000-kilometres across Lake Ontario to Mexico between the months of August and November.

As the summer season comes to an end and the weather cools down, monarch butterflies are known to use Tommy Thompson Park as a key staging site before embarking on their travels south.

Tommy Thompson Park (1 Leslie St. on the Leslie Street Spit) is Toronto’s largest greenspace, which makes the park a critical roosting spot for migrating butterflies.

In celebration of the monarch’s vigorous expedition, visitors will have the opportunity to take part in informative nature walks, experience hands-on activities for kids, learn more about pollinator conservation at a community outreach booth, and explore interactive displays while learning about more than 55 species of butterflies and moths recorded at Tommy Thompson Park.

Registration for guided walks will be on-site only starting at 9:30 a.m. at Tommy Thompson Park’s main entrance.

The event will also feature a bumble bee watch, which will require visitors to pre-register before attending.

Please note that all guided walks and presentations are first-come, first-served – apart from the bumble bee watch.

The event is expected to run rain or shine, but will be cancelled if there is a greater than 70 per cent chance of thunderstorm or other hazardous weather.

To register for the bumble bee watch, or for more information about the event schedule, visit https://trca.ca/butterflyfestival/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22742241966&gbraid=0AAAAADilIgN0PLBuND8BsTGvU8CrdYsxb&gclid=Cj0KCQjwh5vFBhCyARIsAHBx2wwx3a7SauYuo_Wd3fXQzPeNEZvOWZoKuxrfcZPAoQvW3H-GbZg6eX8aAgy9EALw_wcB