TulsaPets Magazine September 2021

18 TulsaPets • September/October 2021 Time Monarchs on the Mountain Celebrates Butterfly Migration by Lauren Cavagnolo ook up any time now, and you might just be lucky enough to see a kaleidoscope or swarm of monarch butterflies passing through on their migration south. At night, these beautiful crea- tures roost in trees, an equally amazing sight. Peak migration for monarchs passing through Okla- homa is September into early October as they make their way from Canada to overwinter in Mexico, according to monarchwatch.org . For those who want to learn about all things monarch, creating your own butterfly garden, butterfly tagging, and more, Monarchs on the Mountain has got you covered. First held in 2016, Monarchs on the Mountain is a celebration of eastern Oklahoma’s role in the migration of the monarch butterfly. The sixth annual family-friendly event is free to the public and will include a plant sale and informational tables from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. September 18 at Turkey Mountain. Marci Hawkins, education and conservation director of the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition and committee chair for the event, said the group has had to pivot and plan for more online and socially distanced activities because of evolving COVID-19 conditions. She said there will still be information tables with plans for distancing and commit- tee members being masked. However, some of the more interactive activities that encourage people to gather in groups have been eliminated; this year’s event will focus on the sale of native pollinator plants. “We have some wonderful plant vendors, there is a vendor out of Shawnee, one of the best in our region for the most amazing selection of native plants, Wild Things Nursery,” Hawkins said. “We also will have A New Leaf that will be one of our plant vendors, and Wild Birds Unlimited will have a mobile store onsite.” Last year, a self-guided mobile migration activity was Kaleidoscope L