SAN ANTONIO – It has been called one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world. The annual migration of the Monarch butterfly from Mexico to Canada is underway, and San Antonio is in the crosshairs.
"It’s a native species. It comes right through San Antonio, and a lot of people don't know that the Monarch butterfly is disappearing off of our planet,” San Antonio Zoo CEO Tim Morrow said.
It was one of the reasons that large crowds showed up to experience Monarch Fest at the San Antonio Zoo on Friday. Inside the Butterfly House, visitors were given a chance to come face-to-face with the endangered species. One of the special guests was Mayor Ivy Taylor, who recently signed off to officially make San Antonio the first Monarch Champion City in the nation.
San Antonio is the largest city along the insect’s migratory route from Mexico to Canada.
"We're doing everything we can in order to preserve the numbers and increase the numbers of Monarch butterflies,” Taylor said.
A program created by the National Wildlife Federation, a Monarch Champion City must take 24 specific actions to ensure Monarch butterflies are protected. Those actions include education and outreach, along with protecting the insect’s habitat.
"The city's doing efforts where they're not going to mow fields as often or along highways, which help the plants that the Monarchs need to thrive,” Morrow said.
Morrow said the zoo will also help visitors create their own habitats.
"We're giving away seeds for milkweed, seeds for nectar plants, and that helps the Monarchs,” Morrow said.
Monarch butterflies are identifiable by their iconic orange and black markings. Monarch Fest continues through Sunday, May 6.