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North Suburban Library patrons visit Nicholas Conservatory’s butterfly house
Sisters Paisley, Audrey and Jules were joined by their Mother at Nicholas Conservatory.
A small group from Roscoe’s North Suburban Library had an opportunity to visit the “Butterfly House” at Nicholas Conservatory on Wednesday, April 27.
Hours of fun started in a video room where visitors learned how the exhibit comes together.
It was stated that it is currently too cold for butterflies to be active. Butterflies come from a farm in Florida and are brought into Illinois., allowing us to enjoy them earlier. They are sent in and sent to various exhibits. New shipments of butterflies come in every week.
Exotic species hail from a farm in Costa Rica.
Butterflies develop through a process called metamorphosis. They go through stages with the first being an egg. All butterflies start as tiny eggs; each about the size of a pin that female butterflies deposit on leaves in small clusters; these plants become the food for the hatching caterpillars which leads into stage two, larva.
Next they become pupa (chrysalis) before heading into adulthood.
Butterflies live in a tropical environment in a little nest. We can watch them sip nectar and flowers or to see them just soar.
After an exhibit it is said that most butterflies don’t live that long; most live a couple to a few weeks.
A butterfly garden is full of plants and flowers.
The difference between a butterfly and a moth was explained. “Butterflies are awake during the day and most moths are trying to nap. Some butterflies have camouflage.
Looking at the colors is one way to tell the difference. Other features included a moth having a smooth end, and tiny wings.
No houseplants are kept in a butterfly house.
Nicholas Conservatory guests entered a butterfly lab. Inside the lab an array of species were featured such as Zebra Long wings, malachite, swallowtails, Queens, and more.
In a glass case butterflies were going through various stages.
Walls of information outlined the difference between a male and a female butterfly. Varied sizes filled part of the lab.
Where do butterflies go in the winter? Most native butterflies and moths overwinter in their pupa on trees and in leaf filters. Some butterflies even overwinter in their adult butterfly stage.
A few migrate to warmer climates. The Monarch butterfly flies from as far north as Canada; all the way to Mexico, a total of 2,500 miles.
Young ones let imaginations soar as they did a kids craft in the lab where they made a 3-d style butterfly. Paper cut outs were colored in then applied to a close pin for a super fun effect.
This special event was organized as a way to show gratitude to library patrons.
“In the past two years we were unable to do in person programs, and we wanted to find a way to partner with other local community organizations or businesses, and to find a way for our taxpayers to have fun,” Head of Children’s Services Barb Jacobs said.
“We worked with Nicholas Conservatory by filling specific time slots for visitors.
Adults or even youth who would like to learn more about butterflies can listen to “What’s that butterfly in my garden?” This is a per-recorded talk, that is part of an Illinois Extension Horticulture educator. Covered are details of how to distinguish between some of the most commonly sighted butterflies in the state’s flower gardens and prairies. Also offered through the library is “Butterfly Story Time.”
Patrons will want to watch the NSLD Facebook page and YouTube channel for a special butterfly story time featuring the book, “Waiting for Wings,” written by Lois Ehlert.
This comes complete with a demo of the colorful butterfly craft that will be available at the district libraries Children’s Services.
Future partnerships are being formed to bring NSLD patrons more education and fun!
