10th Annual Butterfly Encounter returns to the Chattahoochee Nature Center

May 9—The Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road in Roswell, will have the 10th Annual Butterfly Encounter from June 5 to Aug. 6.

Participants can experience the magic of being up close with hundreds of native butterflies in an enclosure bursting with vibrant nectar plants. Participants can also get a chance to feed them with a nectar stick.

Butterfly Encounter attendants will be on-hand to help one learn all about these pollinators.

For example, the popular Monarch butterfly is just one of the colorful species found in the Butterfly Encounter. This butterfly is known to migrate the longest distance, each year flying from North America down to Mexico. They can travel up to 2,800 miles or more one way. What one may not know is that it only likes to lay eggs on the milkweed plant and caterpillars only feed on milkweed. If there are no milkweed plants available, the butterfly will not lay its eggs, leading to population decline.

For those who would like to support their native butterfly friends, host and nectar plants will be available for sale daily so one can start their own pollinator garden.

Hours are Mondays-Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4:30 p.m. General admission is $15 adults; $11 seniors, ages 65 and up, and students, ages 13-18; and $9 children, ages 3-12. Children ages 2 and under are free.

Looking for a one-on-one experience? Breakfast with Butterflies lets participants enjoy a light breakfast, experience several species of butterflies and explore the grounds prior to opening. Three sessions will be available on June 18, July 9 and Aug. 6. Register by the Thursday before each session.

For those wanting to hone their photography skills, a photography workshop will be available with private access to the butterflies and butterfly garden.

For more information, visit https://www.chattnaturecenter.org/special-events/butterfly-encounter/.