Summer to us means having the opportunity to interact more with nature. In Greensboro, in the right environment, butterflies abound. The above female, eastern tiger swallowtail spent a lot of time in our yard yesterday morning. We know it was a she because of the iridescent, blue wash on her wings. Often, in nature, the males are more colorful; not true in the swallowtail kingdom. The swallowtails utilize many host plants, but really love trees. We have wild black cherry and tulip trees in our yard; both favorites of the swallowtail. They like to come lower to the ground for their nectar and our urban flowers are perfect. It is easy to attract butterflies, unless a yard is only grass.
Two fabulous local resources for learning more about butterflies are All-A-Flutter Butterfly Farm, off of US-68 between Greensboro and High Point. Since 2001 (21 years!!!), they have been a great community resource. They also do a lot to help the butterfly population. For example, they raise monarch butterflies, helping with conservation efforts. Currently, the Greensboro Science Center has an interactive butterfly maze exhibit (until September 11th). In June, they also had the debut of their new butterfly house. It is a way to get up close and personal with butterflies. The GSO Science Center is also doing their part to help in the conservation of the monarch butterflies. As for us, we're anxious to get to the science center to see the new exhibit. In the meantime, we'll just keep nurturing the beauties in our backyard. Oh, and lest we forget, we need to head out to Sandy Ridge Road and visit our friend Helene at the Butterfly Effect. Stop in and ask her, just what exactly IS the "butterfly effect".
Happy Saturday!
Beautiful!
Posted by: William Kendall | Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 06:33 PM