by Nikola Tzenov, photography & video by Nikola Tzenov
The annual Monarch Madness Festival returned to the Hashawha Environmental Center and Bear Branch Nature Center last Saturday, drawing families, naturalists, and butterfly enthusiasts to celebrate the fall migration of monarch butterflies.
The festival, a Carroll County tradition for more than 15 years, also marked the grand opening of the county’s first public butterfly house.
One of the festival’s biggest draws was the monarch adoption program, where participants could “adopt” a butterfly that was tagged before being released.
The tiny numbered tags are specially designed not to impede the flight of the butterfly, and allow researchers to track the monarchs on their migration toward Mexico, offering a tangible connection between local residents and an international conservation effort.
For many children at the event, releasing a butterfly was both an educational moment and a chance to experience nature larger than their own backyard.
The unveiling of the new butterfly house added another highlight. The structure has been in development for years, supported by the Friends of Hashawha and Bear Branch, who were on hand to lead tours and answer questions.
Visitors could take wagon rides down to the site, where the newly planted beds of nectar and host plants are taking root. Although the house is not yet home to butterflies, organizers said the hope is to have them inhabiting the space by next season.
Beyond its focus on monarchs, the festival offered a full day of activities. Families enjoyed live music and local food vendors, while children lined up for games, face painting, butterfly catching, and nature crafts. A plant and seed swap encouraged gardeners to share resources, and native plants were available for sale to promote pollinator-friendly landscaping.
The Carroll County Public Library also joined in, hosting story time sessions that tied reading to themes of nature and conservation.
What started as a seasonal program to spotlight the monarch migration has grown into a wide-ranging community event that blends education with entertainment, while keeping the focus on local ecology and the importance of pollinators.
With the butterfly house now open and the monarch tagging program continuing, organizers said they hope the festival will inspire more residents to support conservation efforts at home — from planting milkweed in gardens to simply appreciating the spectacle of a monarch taking flight on its long journey south.
