“Leaves aren’t the only thing turning trees orange this fall!”
Are you a social butterfly? Head down to the Shedd Aquarium to greet the roost of Monarchs that are using their gardens as a crash pad before heading off on their trek to Mexico for the season! [Featured image via Shutterstock]
The Shedd Aquarium is home to many a wildlife. Enchanting penguins, sharks, otters (it’s their week, by the way), birds, and more all under the same roof. Some species, however, just like to visit. Monarch butterflies, for one, just like to hang out for a while before embarking on their epic cross-country migration.
“Monarch butterflies are preparing for their annual 2,000-mile migration to Mexico and have been seen gathering at Shedd,” the aquarium wrote on Instagram. “As part of the aquarium’s SAFE program for this near-threatened species, we have monarch-friendly plants in Shedd’s four acres of gardens to hopefully help their numbers.”
Shedd’s gardens span four acres and include a medley of plants, shrubs, trees, and pesticide-free flowers. Among other flowers in their gardens, the Monarchs are attracted to their Milkweed plant. The milkweed is sole plant upon which Monarch lay eggs.
Every winter Monarch butterflies migrate from the north to spend the season in the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico and Michoacán. The early comers start arriving to the annual hibernation sight around November 1. Coincidentally, November is the first date when in which the celebrations for Day of the Dead begin in the region.
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The Shedd Aquarium is presently open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm daily. Tickets must be purchased prior to visit. Shedd also asks that guests bring their credit cards if they wish to make a purchase. In order to gauge their visitor numbers, the aquarium has implemented timed entries. Guests who are experiencing symptoms of illness postpone their visit for another day.