Monarch butterflies migrate south every year to spend the winter in Mexico, starting in October. A festival this weekend in Gorges State Park in Sapphire is set to celebrate the epic journey.

The third annual Mountain Monarch Festival, a free event put on by the Friends of Gorges State Park and other sponsors, aims to raise awareness of the beautiful species, which is declining in numbers, according to a North Carolina State Parks news release.

“Butterflies can be seen in early October 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 release says.

The event, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 4, is rain-or-shine and first come-first serve.

The festival offers food, education progr

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