McDermott is the marketing and media relations specialist for Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. Brookside is hosting the “Wings of Fancy” Live Butterfly and Caterpillar Exhibit, beginning Saturday and running through Sept. 16. How many butterflies do you have?
We have about 100 different butterfly species. We receive an average of 750 pupae each week from Asia, Africa, Costa Rica and North America. But on a given day, we have between 400 to 800 butterflies in flight inside the house. It’s an amazing experience having all these colorful butterflies flying around you inside of a conservatory.
What can visitors see?
Visitors will see the whole life cycle from eggs growing into caterpillars, to the caterpillars forming pupae or chrysalis, to seeing the butterflies emerge and fly. It takes a couple of hours for the wings of newly hatched butterflies to harden naturally before they can fly. Once they’re hardened, we release them into the conservatory.
In addition to teaching the whole life cycle, we also talk about what you can do in your backyard to attract local butterflies and caterpillars.
What kind of plants are butterflies drawn to?
Milkweed plants are the host plants for monarchs, for instance. Spicebush and sassafras attract the spice bush swallowtails. But they’re not just attracted to plants; some species also like fruit, tree sap and even animal manure.
What have you learned about butterflies?
It’s made me think as a gardener about what I need to plant in my backyard if I want to attract caterpillars and butterflies. I need to have the right host and nectar plants, provide enough sun and not use pesticides.
I’ve also learned that butterflies and caterpillars are part of the food web and provide a critical source of food for birds and other animals.
