18th Annual Monarch Festival – Festival de la Monarca

The next Minneapolis Monarch Festival will occur on Saturday, September 12th, 2026, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Festival celebrates the monarch butterfly amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with music, food, dance, hands-on art, native plant sales and plenty of opportunities to get up close with monarch butterflies, learn about their habitats, and what you can do to make a difference.

The Festival will be held just east of the Lake Nokomis Community Center in the area bounded by E. Minnehaha Parkway, Woodlawn Boulevard, and E. Nokomis Parkway. Map & Directions.

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2026

Fall Kick Off Program 

Co-Host Wild Ones Prairie Edge

Social 6:30 to 7:00 pm

Announcements and Program 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Oak Grove Presbyterian Church

2200 W Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington, MN

Free and Open to Public | In Person and Livestreamed 

Native Bee Conservation: Our Yards Matter!

Presenter | Judy Cardin

Judy Cardin is an educator with the Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade program, and is a bumble bee conservation and native habitat expert. She is administrator of the Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers Facebook group, where she identifies bumble bees and helps with bumble bee conservation questions from thousands of group members. Judy and her husband Bob transformed their 1/4-acre urban yard into a pollinator and bumble bee queen sanctuary. She learned first hand in her own yard what each of us can do to make a difference for pollinators, and will share the best native plants for native bees, and how to create nest, hibernation and shelter habitat in your own yard. Judy and Bob’s yard is featured in the spring issue of National Wild Magazine: Queen Bumble Bee Habitat.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026

The Extraordinary Caterpillar

Public Screening and Discussion : 1:00 pm

Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall

Free Admission | REGISTER HERE

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2026

Annual Meeting,  Seed Exchange and Volunteer Party  

Join with other members of our chapter as we celebrate an amazing year at Richfield Community Center. Evening will include election of officers, brief program and pizza. 

No yard required. Learn how native plants can turn patios, balconies, containers, and other small spaces into meaningful habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. This practical panel will cover plant selection, container design, seasonal care, and realistic ways to support biodiversity in limited spaces.

Registration link coming soon.

Birds depend on healthy, connected habitats for food, shelter, nesting, and migration support. Join experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to explore how native plants and thoughtful landscape choices can support birdlife at home. Learn how gardens, yards, and community spaces can provide the insects, seeds, berries, cover, and habitat structure birds need throughout the year.

Registration link coming soon. 

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.