10/08/2026
Yea! A grateful pollinator plant that the migrating butterflies love is the pink daisy mum. Will be amazed at how many different species of butterflies and bees that supports this time of year when not much else is in bloom.
š¦ The butterflies are coming!
The first monarchs of the season have reportedly been spotted in north Georgia, which means thousands more are right behind them. Every year, they begin up in southern Canada and fly all the way to the mountains of central Mexico, a trip of up to 3,000 miles. You've got a short window to catch their migrationāpeak viewing usually lasts roughly four weeks, with the last stragglers trickling through around early November.
A few fun facts about our orange-winged visitors:
š§” None of them have ever been to Mexico before. They're several generations removed from the monarchs that left Mexico last spring.
š§” This "super generation" lives up to eight months. Summer monarchs (their parents) live only a few weeks.
š§” They can cover as many as 100 miles in a day, and each butterfly weighs less than a paper clip.
Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground may be the best place to see them. The gardens' 15 acres of wildflowers provide a flowering oasis for hungry travelers.
Other good places to spot them include the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, Atlanta Botanical Garden in Midtown, and Callaway Resort & Gardens in Pine Mountain. Go on a sunny afternoon, when they're most active.
Want to follow along? Journey North maps the migration in real time, using sightings reported by volunteers across North America; you can add your own sightings, too.
šø:ā Courtesy of Gibbs Gardens
