Put-in-Bay – Drew and Amber Wollenzier of Wellington were excited to learn that the Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center (LEINWC) would be hosting the 2nd Annual Monarch Fest on Put-in-Bay on September 13. Their six-year-old daughter, Juniper Wollenzier, is a butterfly enthusiast, and their one-year-old son, Forrest, accompanied them.
“We were looking forward to this,” Drew explained. “No one ever has festivals just for monarchs, and they are so important.”
Juniper caught butterflies, participated in the butterfly race, and stood nearby as LEINWC Director Renee Fultz led a butterfly release. Juniper watched as a butterfly landed on the cloth butterfly wings she was wearing.
“I like butterflies because I enjoy watching them fly. “They are lovely,” Juniper stated.
The event included bounce houses, live music, educational displays, crafts, and food. Jackie Taylor, director of the Kelleys Island School Field Station, hosted an educational table with the opportunity to examine monarchs under microscopes.
The main attraction of the festival was the chance to capture monarchs for tagging. When an attendee caught a monarch, an LEINWC staff member would tag it in the hopes that it would be returned to its winter home in Mexico. Tagging allows researchers to monitor and protect the monarch population.
The festival was bustling with people catching monarchs, learning about monarchs, and having fun.
“We definitely have a lot more people than last year, which is fantastic,” says Fultz. “We wanted people to come together as a community to have fun and learn about monarchs and pollinators.”
Casey Lescher, Kate Flounders, and Lescher’s five-year-old daughter, Jemma Charlton, all from Sandusky, were thrilled when Lescher caught a monarch. Charlton described it as the best moment of the festival. Lescher experienced an emotional moment.
“I always said I think my dad comes back as a monarch, but I haven’t seen one for years,” she told me. “Since my grandma died in July, I see them everywhere.”
Ironically, the Wollenziers caught a praying mantis before catching a butterfly. Drew was getting a temporary tattoo of a praying mantis on his arm when one landed on his hat.
“I told the woman who gave me the tattoo that I hadn’t seen a praying mantis in a while. Drew said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but one just landed on your head.'” “Apparently, someone was listening.”
