McNair is an unincorporated community in Lake County, Minnesota, United States.

The community is located 20 miles north of the city of Two Harbors at the intersection of Lake County Highway 2 and Langley River Road, Forest Road 122.

The event is organized for the purpose of identifying and counting butterflies in a specific area.

The research data gathered during a count can indicate population changes and health within a species.

The management of the nearby McNair Butterfly Area has been a cooperative project between the Minnesota DNR and the USDA Forest Service with initial support from the Nature Conservancy.