FOLEY -- Monarch butterflies are fueling up for their annual trip Southward, and might stop by Foley this weekend.

The Minnesota Monarch Migration Fair is Sunday at the Minnesota Native Landscapes Production farm near Foley.

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Communications Coordinator at the Monarch Joint Venture Stacy Carlson explains why the fair happens at that farm.

(Minnesota Native Landscapes) grows fields of one flower that attracts monarchs like crazy. Really, the main attraction is the opportunity to see potentially hundreds of Monarch butterflies in these fields of flowers.

A plant sale at the fair will focus on varieties of plants that can be grown in any type of environment and provide monarch butterflies with a food source. In addition, fairgoers will have an opportunity to help tag butterflies for future research purposes.

Photo by Wendy Caldwell, Monarch Joint Venture
Photo by Wendy Caldwell, Monarch Joint Venture
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Carlson says the research has provided insight into the annual migration.

There are several programs across the country, one well known one is called Monarch Watch, that specialize in having this tagging program that allows people to attach a very tiny sticker to a monarch butterfly wing. And that sticker has a unique number on it. It's part of how we know that monarchs from Minnesota and even Southern Ontario make that 3000 mile journey all the way to Mexico; tagged monarchs have been recovered in Mexico that were originally tagged up here.

The fair runs Sunday from noon until 6:00 pm with a plant sale, farm tours and educational demonstrations. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for children.

For ticket information, click here.

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