News

SAPPHIRE— Gorges State Park in Transylvania County will host the third annual Mountain Monarch Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the park visitor center.

The festival celebrates the monarch butterfly during its migration and brings attention to the species’ declining numbers.

The park lies along the monarchs’ migratory route. The butterflies can be seen in late September each year flying over the park, heading south to the high-elevation fir forests in central-southern Mexico’s Volcanic Belt, where they overwinter until early spring.

The festival will offer educational programs and exhibits featuring the monarch butterfly, including monarch-themed children’s crafts, food trucks, a live photo board, face painting by Color Me Happy, local art for sale and a Monarch Migration Passport to lead families through monarch-themed activities.

Featured speaker Joyce Pearsall, a conservation specialist with Monarch Watch and a master gardener, will speak about “The World of Monarch Butterflies.” Other speaker topics include “Monarch Life Cycle and Tagging,” by Brian Bockhahn, education specialist for North Carolina State Parks, and “Butterfly Gardening,” by Bryan Thompkins, a wildlife biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Monarch butterflies have two sets of deep orange and black wings and a wingspan of 3-4 inches. Male monarchs have two black spots in the center of their hind wings.

The migratory subspecies of the monarch was recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “red list” of the most threatened species on Earth. Those who wish to help monarchs return to healthy population levels can plant locally native milkweed in their yards and support efforts to reduce pesticide use.

The Mountain Monarch Festival is sponsored by Friends of Gorges State Park and organized in partnership with Monarch Watch, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, the Transylvania County Library, the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Transylvania County 4-H, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Carolina Aquariums, and The Land and Sky Chapter and the Oconee Bell Chapter of the Native Plant Society.

The event, activities and programs are free and open to the public. Registration, which is required, is available until 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27 at https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/gorges-state-park/events/monarch-fest-2024/registration. Registration will close once the park reaches capacity so register early. The event will be held rain or shine. For event details, visit https://www.friendsofgorges.org/mountainmonarchfestival