Photo of a cluster of Monarchs by Kim Bailey
We celebrate Monarch Month from mid-September through mid-October.
You can often spot caterpillars from the summer’s final generation before migration. And watch for adult butterflies nectaring in your garden on their way to wintering grounds in Mexico!
Henderson County youth are invited to participate in the 30th annual Symbolic Monarch Migration education program at no charge thanks to Bullington Gardens, local volunteers, and sponsors. Any group (up to 30 participants) of youth located within Henderson County may take part in the program.
Classrooms with up to 30 participants in Asheville and Buncombe County are invited to participate in the 29th annual Symbolic Monarch Migration education program at no charge thanks to Bee City USA-Asheville donors and pollenteers.
Garden Party Fundraiser - Dinner, Music, Garden and Milkweed Meadow tours, Pick your own cut flowers.
Shop for all your favorite perennials, shrubs, trees and so much more at Bullington’s annual fall plant sale.
The Asheville Botanical Garden and numerous local plant vendors will offer a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, and flowers for fall planting. Signs will direct customers to the garden’s parking lot and to the designated overflow parking area at UNCA. Overflow parking lot is located at UNCA at 118 W.T. Weaver Blvd
Grab your binoculars because it’s migration celebration time! Our annual feathered frenzy is back, and you’re invited to join the fun. Celebrate the magic of fall bird and butterfly migration with a full day of family-friendly activities, live raptor demonstrations, beginner bird walks, a hawk watch, and so much more. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just bird-curious, this is our biggest birding event of the year and you won’t want to miss it!
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Day with us at the Hendersonville Farmers Market. From the upbeat rhythms to the delicious baked goods, connect, celebrate, and share in the joy of heritage and community spirit! Visit the Milkweed Meadows Farm tent to view Monarch life cycle educational displays, purchase native milkweeds + other pollinator-friendly plants, and participate in the Symbolic Monarch Migration art activity for kids.
Live music, education activities celebrating our pollinators, native plants, and much more!
Shop for all your favorite perennials, shrubs, trees and so much more at Bullington’s annual fall plant sale.
Celebrate the monarch butterfly during its migration and bring attention to the species’ declining numbers. Gorges State Park lies along the monarch’s migratory route. The butterflies can be seen in late September each year flying over the park’s visitor center on their way south to the high-elevation fir forests of Mexico’s Neovolcanic Mountains, where they overwinter until early spring.
Visit the Blue Ridge Community College Horticulture Program’s Fall Plant Sale being held as part of Farm City Day at Jackson Park. Mums, fall asters, violas, pansies, mixed fall planters, perennials, shrubs, trees and succulents are perfect for gift giving. Many natives to support pollinators will also be available, including several hard-to-find species.
October is a busy time for monarch butterflies as they undergo their fall migration from Eastern North America to Mexico. Western North Carolina is a pit stop for some of these travelers. Celebrate these colorful creatures with an amazing collection of activities and events. Blue Ridge Naturalist instructor, Dan Lazar, is scheduled to speak.
This class will cover everything from milkweed seed collection and stratification to raising monarchs responsibly, reporting monarch sightings, and tagging monarchs.
Join the NC Arboretum for a celebration of the amazing monarch butterfly, and the public opening of the Arboretum's Playing Woods! This event will include fun for all ages, including informative lectures, craft activities and special nature play activities as we celebrate the opening of our outdoor nature playscape, the Playing Woods.
Calling all garden lovers! Join us on Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28 for our annual Fall Plant Sale and Market! The Market features unique plants grown in The North Carolina Arboretum’s Production Greenhouse and includes over 30 local growers and businesses. Shop an outstanding collection of annuals, perennials and crafts to the sounds of live music! On Saturday, September 28, children and adults can participate in Monarch Day activities.
The Asheville Botanical Garden and numerous local plant vendors will offer a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, and flowers for fall planting. Signs will direct customers to the garden’s parking lot and to the designated overflow parking area at UNCA. Overflow parking lot is located at UNCA at 118 W.T. Weaver Blvd.
During the Bullington Gardens Fall Plant Sale, Friends of Bee City Hendersonville will be coloring symbolic monarchs for the 2024 migration to Mexico and will have other fun kids’ activities. Pollinator and native plant info will bee on hand for moms and dads too.
Celebrate the 2nd station on the Asheville Butterfly Trail at Reems Creek Nursery. Take your photo with a human-sized Gulf Fritllary and enjoy Cajun cuisine from the Po Wagon food truck.
This class will cover everything from milkweed seed collection and stratification to raising monarchs responsibly, reporting monarch sightings, and tagging monarchs.
Join the Gardening for Life Project for the first installment of the Habitatscaping™ speaker series! More Habitat, Less Lawn: Getting Started with ReWilding Your Yard will be an entertaining and inspirational presentation by one of the most passionate naturalists in our region, Sharon Mammoser.
Henderson County youth are invited to participate in the 29th annual Symbolic Monarch Migration education program at no charge thanks to Bullington Gardens, local volunteers, and sponsors.
