What does a Monarch Butterfly have in common with certain Montgomery County residents? They not only hate the cold weather, they migrate to warmer climates to avoid it. But considering the fragile insects’ exit to Mexico and beyond isn’t here just yet, opportunities remain to appreciate and support them. Franki Rudnesky reported a local one in PhillyVoice.

Monarch Butterflies have had a tough time of it recently.

The migratory monarch has recently been classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a global sustainability advocacy organization based in Switzerland.

The National Wildlife Foundation (Reston, Va.) has also noted the losses domestically. It suggests that butterfly fans looking to boost their numbers do so by avoiding milkweed-killing herbicides (monarch caterpillars feed on milkweed) and instead, maintaining gardens with milkweed and nectar-rich flowers.

Plenty of information on supporting butterfly populations will be available at the Aug. 27 Butterfly Celebration at the Upper Schuylkill Valley Park, 615 Black Rock Rd., Royersford.

The event — 10 a.m. to noon with only a donation requested from attendees — will include tips on tagging, feeding, and raising butterflies. At its conclusion, a flurry of beautiful monarchs will be released for their journey south of the border.

For additional information Monarch Butterflies — including details of a domestic effort to help them flourish — flit over to PhillyVoice.