Inaugural Pollinator Festival Coming To Aurora's Phillips Park Zoo

AURORA, IL — To close out National Pollinator Week, Phillips Park Zoo is gearing up to host the inaugural Aurora Pollinator Festival Saturday.

Happening from 1-6 p.m. Saturday at the zoo, 1000 Ray Moses Drive, the festival will feature educational programs, kid-friendly activities, a pop-up farmers market, food trucks, a beer garden, plant and seed sales, and a milkweed giveaway.

As bees, butterflies and other pollinators are vanishing from local ecosystems at high rates, the zoo is working to help solve the problem by expanding pollinator habitats, installing research gardens and hosting the upcoming festival as an educational tool, according to city officials.

With a goal to "spread awareness of Illinois' pollinator species and ignite action for their protection," the event will give attendees the opportunity to learn about wildlife habitats in the Aurora community and local pollinator conservation initiatives.

Outside of the fest, organizers encourage Aurora residents to support pollinators by planting a "pollinator packet" of flowers in their gardens, window boxes or in a pot. Avoiding pesticides that are harmful to pollinators and shopping locally are other options for taking action.