Monarch Madness sees record attendance after 4-year hiatus
September 20, 2023
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Temperatures in the 70s signaled fall’s arrival and set the stage for the return of one of the most celebrated insects in the world: the monarch butterfly. The monarch’s migratory pattern and its distinct appearance – having orange wings, laced with black lines, and bordered with white dots – makes it one of the most recognizable and researched butterflies on the planet.
It boasts the longest trek of any such insect (up to 3,000 miles), adding to its mystique. That may be the reason the Monarch Madness event at the Department of Energy’s Weldon Spring, Missouri, Site saw record-breaking crowds Sept. 16.
“It was just an incredible experience,” said Esther Weltman, who traveled from Town and Country, Missouri, after hearing of the event.
“The site itself is beautiful. It's a natural habitat, and we were able to buy natural plants and milkweed for our garden for the monarch butterflies,” she said.
As creatures of habit, the butterflies descended on familiar terrain – a 150-acre area on the monarch butterflies’ migration pathway, called Howell Prairie.
“The Howell Prairie contains 80 species of native prairie grasses and wildflowers, which serve as an ideal habitat for wildlife and pollinators,” said Rebecca Roberts, DOE Weldon Spring Site manager.
The family-friendly festival was organized by Missouri Pollinator Network. Naturalists and gardener volunteers, St. Charles County Parks, and Missouri Department of Conservation formed the Monarch Madness planning committee. DOE Office of Legacy Management was the host of the festival, which brings awareness to the rapidly declining monarch butterfly population.
After a four-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent construction of the new Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center, visitors flocked to witness the great migration of these majestic pollinators.
“It was my first Monarch Madness event. I was quite impressed,” said Jo Anne Shew, who took advantage of the Interpretive Center during her first-time visit. The center features the site’s history as an example of beneficial reuse of a former World War II explosives manufacturing and Cold War uranium-metals processing facility.
“I had no idea how much our area has been involved in so many wars in making defensive weapons,” Shew said. “I would recommend the tour for anyone who has not had the opportunity.”
Nicole Snyder, one of the Monarch Madness organizers, said they were hoping to draw 300 to 500 people. More than 1,000 visitors attended.
“People were talking all about the monarchs and their migration,” she said. “Overall, [it was] a fabulous event.”
Aside from the community enjoying the butterflies, the event was also used to tag the monarchs for future tracking and observation. The event highlighted how the monarchs’ decline can be mitigated and what Weldon Spring is doing to support the population.
Ed Leutwiler, a volunteer with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said this was his first Monarch Madness.
“The last time it was done, I was unable to make it,” he said, adding that there was still a chance to watch the monarch tagging. “We will be here next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, for anyone wanting to join us.”
For those unable to attend this year’s migration celebration, the prairie is a permanent installation at Weldon Spring that can be enjoyed by visitors and pollinators year-round.