Butterflies in the Garden - Fort Worth - 2016

The butterflies are back! Their second week has begun at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens and they will be there through Sunday, April 3, 2016. Exotic butterflies are hatched out and released into the rain forest conservatory for visitors to view as they stroll along the pathways. Butterflies in the Garden comes to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens every other year so if you don't get by before they are gone, you won't be able to see them again until 2018. If you don't live close enough to visit this exhibit check with your local botanic garden to see if they have this or a similar one on their calendar.

What can you expect to see? You will see a wide variety of exotic butterflies from South America. There are a variety of colors and sizes. You will see butterflies, large and small, perching on foliage, drinking nectar from flowers and eating from feeding stations. You need to watch your feet so you don't step on any that land on the path. But don't look down all the time because there will be butterflies flying past and above you. They often travel in groups. It's ok if they land on you, just don't walk out with them. It is also ok to bring your camera but don't bring in any snacks and drinks.

Celebrate the Spring Equinox

It is almost officially springtime. The long awaited for Spring Equinox is almost here. (It has been a long, roller coaster of a winter this year. I can’t wait for spring to come to stay.) Spring officially arrives just before noon, March 20, 2014 in the DFW Metroplex (CDT). When I think of spring I think of returning flowers and butterflies. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden offers plenty of opportunities to see flowers and bountiful butterflies.

The grounds of the Botanic Gardens has plenty of fabulous flowers. In addition, this year the “Butterflies in the Garden” exhibit has returned. This exhibit is currently open daily from 10am to 4pm through April 6th. Many tropical butterfly species fill the conservatory. You will find them flitting through the air, perching on flowers or just hanging out on the greenery. I have included a couple of the many photos that I took during my visit last week.

If you don’t live close enough to take advantage of this wonderful exhibit, check with your local arboretum or natural history museum to see if they know if and when a similar exhibit is scheduled to come to your area. Many different opportunities may await you in your community. In addition, if you plant and create other habitat for butterflies in your garden you can enjoy your local butterfly community throughout the growing season.

So, take a moment and check out your local butterfly watching prospects. You’ll be glad you took the time to view these jewels of the air.

Artist Spotlight – Butterfly Inspirations

For many years I have seen beautiful displays of mounted butterflies and often thought they would look pretty in my home. When I was growing up, my mom helped me and my brother collect and mount butterflies and dragonflies in balsa wood boxes. However, as I got older, I became concerned about taking these winged jewels out of their natural habitat in order to have them grace my home. In addition, while the butterflies themselves were stunning in the displays that I saw, the displays themselves always seemed to be lacking a certain something that would compel me to take one home.

All of that changed when I was a vendor at the Dallas Handmade Arts Market last November. Another vendor, Carol Shier, had the most artistically arranged and mounted butterfly specimens that I had seen. On her website, ButterflyInspirationsStore, Carol states that her “…butterflies come from butterfly farms from around the world…”. Problem solved with regard to taking these gems from nature. As I already mentioned, Carol’s butterflies are wonderfully and artistically displayed. Her gorgeous specimens are mounted in clear acrylic boxes, often with a natural branch to add to the artistic presentation. Her box of pink glasswing butterflies on a branch reminded me of cherry blossoms. I just had to bring them home with me.

In addition to her website, Carol also has an Etsy shop, ButterflyStore, stocked with a few of her creations. On her sites you will find enchanting displays of single specimens as well as large boxes containing a dozen or more butterflies. I have enjoyed looking at my purchase during these gray winter days. It gives me hope that spring and new beauty is around the corner.