This Sunday, residents will have the chance to experience the annual monarch butterfly migration at For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum.

Genesee County Parks staff got an early look at monarch tagging at For-Mar, where butterflies are carefully tagged and recorded before being released. The information is uploaded to a monarch-tracking database, helping researchers track their incredible migration and learn how many make the long journey south to Mexico.

This Sunday, August 23, visitors can experience the process themselves during For-Mar’s Monarch Festival. The event will feature monarch tagging and releases, monarch migration games and crafts, a monarch caterpillar, an open treehouse, and a special performance by a harpist from the Flint Institute of Music.

For-Mar’s horticulture team will also be giving away swamp milkweed, an important native plant that provides monarchs with the habitat they need to reproduce and thrive.

It’s a great opportunity for families to get outside, learn more about one of nature’s most impressive migrations, and perhaps even send a tagged monarch on its way toward Mexico.

Come explore, learn, and celebrate the incredible journey of the monarch butterfly at For-Mar!

Register for the Monarch Festival

About For-Mar

For over 50 years, the 383 picturesque acres of For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum have been wowing visitors, protecting wildlife, and nurturing the environment. For-Mar is conveniently located at 2142 N. Genesee Road, Burton, MI 48509