Looking Ahead to 2026: Migration Stories

Each year, I lay out a special focus for the year– something that I want to highlight in the work I create in the coming year. In past years, I’ve chosen things like “pollinators,” or “predators.” This year, I want to take a deeper dive into Migration Stories and I want y'all's help to do it. 

Above: I know one species I'll wait for excitedly this year is the Yellow Crowned Night Herons. 

Why? Many of our favorite native southeastern animals are actually migrants. We think of them as “ours,” but in truth we share them with larger global communities.  Here in our beautiful region, the passage of time can be marked not just with pages of a calendar, but also with the ebb and flow of incoming species.  The sweet song of the white throated sparrow as they arrive from Canada, the iconic Tundra Swans and Snow Geese dazzling the Carolina Coast, the exciting moment when you hear that first “buzzing” sound that tells you the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are back in your yard.

Above: Monarchs are famous for their migration, but there are many other southeastern butterflies that migrate as well, such as the Common Buckeye, Painted Lady, and many species of Skipper.

This year, I want to dive a little deeper in my understanding of some of our native part-time residents.  Where exactly are they coming from? What do they eat and how are our local ecosystems impacted by their arrival? Who do we share this species with? Who else loves them, and waits for them to return each year? 

To get started, I’ve compiled a list of potential species that I’m considering highlighting. I want y’all to click on this link and vote for your favorites. There are also fields for comments, so I want to hear from y'all: 

• Is there a species that's not on this list, but should be? 
• Do you have a personal connection to any of these species?
• Do you have a cherished memory of witnessing these animals in the wild?
• Do you have a favorite bird that returns to your feeders every year as they migrate through? Or a butterfly that always returns to your garden?
• Have you been traveling in another country and discovered one of our southeastern natives wintering there?
• Can you recommend the best place to observe one of the animals on this list?

After I hear from you, I'll start pulling together stories and use them to inform my work this year. Some of your suggestions will find their way into block prints and patterns, others may be shared via my blog or socials. The end result I hope, will be a sustained effort to highlight the fact that migration is natural, beautiful, and brings value to our communities and region. 

Above: Did y'all know that the White throated Sparrow migrates at night and some scientists believe they navigate using the stars? This super-chonk used the stars to find its way to my backyard, where it tried to form itself into a literal circle.