CANCELLED – Raising Minnesota Monarchs at the Mahtomedi Monarch Nursery! (In-Person)

Did you realize the eastern Monarch butterfly population (those east of the Rocky Mountains) has declined by 80% in the last twenty years? And that a November count of the western Monarch population suggests those butterflies are on the edge of extinction?!  Here’s a class for you to learn what you can do to help this critical situation.

Nino Nardecchia has been raising monarchs for a number of years.  He enjoys sharing fascinating details monarchs and is the perfect guide to help you learn how to successfully raise monarch butterflies.  

During your outdoor session you will:
• Learn about the monarch’s lifecycle including how they get to Minnesota and where they go in the winter.
• Learn how to grow milkweed which is the only plant monarch caterpillars eat.
• Learn how to identify monarch eggs and how to find newly hatched monarch caterpillars.
• Learn how to raise and release monarch butterflies.
• Learn how to tag monarch butterflies to help researchers learn more about their migration.
• Based on availability, be able to take home a maturing monarch caterpillar to raise to a butterfly; or a formed chrysalis to watch it turn into a butterfly.

To encourage young people to learn more about monarchs, Nino has specified that this class be intergenerational: invite a young person (ages 9 – 18) to join you at the class for Free!  Each person under 18 must be accompanied for the entire class by an adult.  During the registration process, register for each adult and then list the name of the young person and their age in the ‘Order Notes’.    

As noted, this class will take place in Mahtomedi, MN.  Exact location details will be shared with registered students.  Please register soon as this class has limited space and will fill quickly!

Our current Covid procedures to keep our instructors and students safe will be sent with the class details, about a week before the class.

NOTE: Be aware we may cancel class if a minimum number of registrations is not reached. We work to balance teachers’ need to plan for materials with students’ busy schedules — not an easy task. Please register as early as possible!