Butterflies, pollinators and family fun take flight at Chattahoochee Nature Center's annual festival

Roswell visitors spent the weekend surrounded by fluttering wings, native plants, and hands-on learning as the Chattahoochee Nature Center kicked off its annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival.

Now in its 27th year, the festival celebrates butterflies and other pollinators while teaching visitors about their role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Guests had the opportunity to step inside a live butterfly encounter, meet experts, enjoy live entertainment, and learn about pollinator conservation from around the world.

"We are on the second day of the 27th annual Butterfly Festival," said Fabiola Claremont, event supervisor at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. "This entire space has been put together by our horticulture team very lovingly and painstakingly."

Inside the butterfly encounter, visitors can watch native butterflies flutter among pollinator-friendly plants — and sometimes even land on them.

"They may land on your skin, as well as bright colors," Claremont said. "It's a really great learning opportunity for kids and just a fun little mini playground for adults as well."

While the festival serves as the official opening celebration, the butterfly encounter will remain open through Aug. 30, giving families a chance to experience the exhibit throughout the summer.

The event also highlights the importance of pollinators beyond butterflies, with educational exhibits focused on native plants, environmental stewardship, science, culture, and conservation. Visitors can even purchase pollinator-friendly plants to help support local ecosystems at home.

The festival comes during a milestone year for the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1976, the nonprofit nature preserve offers trails, wildlife rehabilitation programs, canoeing, educational camps, and community events.

"We are turning 50 this year," Claremont said. "We are all funded by you guys coming here, coming to these programs, donating to us."

Nature center leaders say the butterfly encounter remains one of their most popular attractions because it combines fun with education, helping visitors better understand the critical role pollinators play in the environment.

For many families, though, the biggest attraction was simple: watching a butterfly land on a child's shoulder, hat, or hand — creating a summer memory that lasts long after the wings flutter away.