Newspaper Page Text
LIFESTYLE
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21 - 27, 2019 • PAGE 16
FEATURE
fou can grow a
butterfly garden too!
i Attracting butterflies to your landscape
afrMt is fan- A few carefully selected plants
and a tolerance for chewed leaves is
all it takes! A decorative butterfly box
SjfQisk ma y aM a personal touch, but is not
_ Wty suitable butterfly habitat.
Butterflies prefer native plants
and a pesticide-free environment. Cosmos
lantana «><l butterfly bush provide nectar for’
adult butterflies.
you partial to monarch butterfly?
mi
Enjoy flights of
fancy year ‘round
Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center is
home to 50 species of butterflies
BY GALE HORTON GAY
FREELANCE REPORTER
Regardless of the season or the weather, one
Georgia destination retains a tropical vibe.
That’s good news for the hundreds of butterflies
that inhabit the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at
Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. It’s also
great news for those wanting to experience butterflies
in an environment where close contact is unavoidable.
The center is home to more than 1,000
butterflies—representing more than 50 species—and
kept at a constant tropical temperature.
During my most recent visit in mid-October, my
93-year-old mother and I were mesmerized by all ^
the butterflies flitting around us, feeding on slices of
fruit in bowls as well as the amazing variety of plants
and flowers so artfully arranged in the conservatory. B.
This was not our first time at the center, still we were
delighted and fascinated.
The 7,300-square-foot center, which bills itself as q
the largest butterfly conservatory in North America, is
described as a state-of-art facility with 1,000 panes of
glass. Before entering the conservatory, visitors can D.
view educational videos about butterflies and view
exhibits of other aspects of the center’s work.
“The Day Butterfly Center is a living, dynamic,
glass-enclosed environment in which a variety of
tropical plants nourish the residents and new arrivals
emerge from their chrysalides, dry their wings, and
begin their very first wing-beats,” is how the center is
described on Callaway’s website.
The center, which supports the conservation of
some of the worlds most threatened natural habitats,
purchases butterflies in the chrysalis stage from
family-run butterfly farms in economically challenged
tropical countries.
Each month the center promotes one of its winged
residents as Butterfly of the Month. For November,
that butterfly is the yellow phoebis sennae also known
as the cloudless sulphur.
The center also holds weekday 30-minute
programs that focuses on butterflies. “In this
program, learn about each stage in their lives and the
amazing adaptations that make them unique even
among insects,” is how the program is described
on Callaway’s website. “Discover the differences
between moths and butterflies.. .find out the threats
facing butterflies today and why people don’t see as
many now as remembered in years past; and how to
help bring them back.” The program is held Mondays
through Fridays from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
For more information on the Cecil B. Day
Butterfly Center and Callaway Gardens, go to
callawaygardens.com.
