Patricia Collins, Director of Education for Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia, will be the guest speaker at the Coweta County’s Master Gardener Backyard Association meeting on Tuesday, April 11. Learn all the secrets to creating a successful butterfly habitat which includes providing desirable plants for all the stages of the butterfly’s development: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult.

According to Collins, “In the butterfly world, planting brightly colored flowers is like hanging out a neon ‘Diner’ sign. They seem especially attracted to lavenders and purples, as well as reds, oranges, and yellows.”

Not only learn which nectar-producing plants are needed for their energy supply, but also the “host plants” on which the females can lay their eggs and later furnish food for the caterpillars. For example, Monarch butterflies lay eggs only on plants in the milkweed family.
Attracting butterflies is a great family project. In fact, one of the most popular attractions for all ages is the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens, the largest free-flight butterfly conservatory in North America. Collins was not only involved in the development of the butterfly habitat but also coordinates the volunteer program at Callaway to provide educational programs on a variety of horticultural, natural history, and wildlife topics for the Garden’s visitors.

The Backyard Association provides gardening sessions for the general public on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Coweta County Fairgrounds. The program will last approximately one hour and Master Gardeners are available to answer your gardening questions. Door prizes are given away, but registration is required. Contact the Coweta County Extension Office at 770-254-2620 to register for the drawing.

login to post comments