Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to mountains in central Mexico where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring. The monarch migration is truly one of the world’s greatest natural wonders yet it is threatened by habitat loss throughout the continent.

Since 2020, Blue Heron has worked to establish and maintain ecosystems that support this migration with everything a monarch needs—host plants for their caterpillars, nectar from wildflowers, and a safe place to continue their journey. Our Meadow for Monarchs nestled along the Painted Turtle Trail sustains and these and many other crucial pollinator species.

Restoring Nature, One Meadow at a Time

Pollinator populations have been declining for decades due to habitat loss, widespread herbicide use, and the expansion of urban development. Yet, spaces like this meadow prove that we can reverse these trends.

At Blue Heron Nature Preserve, we are committed to promoting the health of our habitats by:

• Removing invasive plant species to allow native plants to flourish.
• Using only organic land management to ensure pollinators are safe from harmful chemicals.
• Maintaining a diverse mix of native plants that bloom throughout the seasons, providing food year-round.
• Fostering deep-rooting species of plants that improve soil health, stabilize against erosion, absorb and contain large amounts of water to reduce the impacts of flooding, and filter rainwater before it reaches the nearby creeks.
• Providing essential food sources and homes for native fauna by ensuring their co-evolved support plants are plentiful.

This effort not only benefits monarchs but also helps sustain a rich network of pollinators, birds, and other wildlife that depend on these meadows to survive.

Conservation in Unexpected Places

Utility rights-of-way, like the one this meadow sits on, are often overlooked opportunities for conservation. While standard maintenance practices traditionally involve mowing or herbicide treatments, through our partnership with Georgia Power we have transformed this space into an crucial ecological resource.

By allowing native plants to thrive here, we’re transforming an often underutilized space into a flourishing conservation area—one that supports wildlife while still permitting the unobstructed passage of utilities.