At the height of summer, it’s easy to take for granted the little things that add up to make life beautiful. Something as simple as a butterfly atop a milkweed flower might seem insignificant in the midst of the daily hustle and bustle. But Williamsburg Botanical Garden’s third annual Butterfly Festival hopes to serve as a reminder of the beauty all around us Saturday and Sunday.
“What we had wanted at the Botanical Gardens was to give a gift to the community,” said Judy Jones, the garden’s volunteer coordinator.
She and her team wanted to capitalize on the gorgeous landscape of the garden as well as its prime location in a region teeming with butterflies. All of the festival’s species are native to Virginia. Last year’s saw black swallowtails, spicebush swallowtails, buckeyes and more; this year brings monarchs, red admirals and the “absolutely gorgeous” state butterfly, the eastern tiger swallowtail.
“They’re such a great gift,” Jones said, emphasizing how important such pollinators are in our habitat. “So many people think, ‘That’s just a butterfly, that’s just a bee.’ The whole goal is to share butterflies’ experiences with people.”
She was eager to share with others the opportunity to learn, although it’s meant to be more than a series of stuffy lectures.
“The butterflies are just amazing,” she said. “We’re hoping that people will learn a lot about the butterflies and the plants and the relationship there. But we’re hoping they’ll have fun, too.”
There will be no shortage of activities. Upon entering the festival, volunteers offer attendees a Q-Tip dipped in Gatorade. The sweetness attracts the butterflies for a close-up encounter to get the ball rolling.
Kids will have the chance to craft necklaces that mirror butterflies’ life cycles while parents can listen to book readings and guest speakers. Those interested can bring home a chrysalis pyramid, painted lady chrysalises attached to a cardboard pyramid. Two to three days later, the butterflies hatching will emerge wherever the pyramid is placed. Near the end of the festival, at 4:45 p.m. Sunday, organizers will release all of the festival’s butterflies, unleashing a storm of color and energy upon the area.
In the age of smartphones and fleeting attention spans, the festival offers a change of pace.
“If we can redirect their attention, even a little bit, that will be successful,” Jones said.
Plight of the butterfly farmers
All of the 400-plus butterflies at the festival come from local butterfly farmers, a career option Jones found surprising when she learned of it.
“It’s amazing,” she said.
Catherine Short is the liaison between those farmers and the festival. She’s a USDA-licensed butterfly exhibitor who previously set up tents at state fairs and various cities’ festivals. This is her third year supplying the Williamsburg Botanical Garden’s Butterfly Festival with the titular insect, which she obtains from regional farmers who raise thousands every week. Short, who has a bachelor’s degree in zoo management and a master’s in environmental education, hopes those who attend the festival leave with a more intimate connection to nature.
“I certainly hope that they get a feeling of ownership for the wildlife that we have here in Virginia,” she said.
Attendees can learn what types of plants butterflies need to exist. Something many might not consider: moving away from the concept of green grass-filled yards toward plants better suited to native animals.
Short said they won’t know the exact butterflies making appearances until a couple of days prior to the festival; she compared them to young children.
“You can predict, but you can’t be sure,” she said. Some don’t hatch every year. But she said the festival will feature at least eight species and as many as 14.
“There’s the absolute beauty of the butterflies and the importance of the butterflies as pollinators,” Short said. “Without them, we just wouldn’t have the beautiful greenery that surrounds us.”
Without them, the plants couldn’t repopulate because they rely on pollinators; food prices would increase as well. She lamented the “remarkable decline” in monarch numbers as well as the decline of other butterfly species to a lesser extent. She cited a lack of milkweed plants and insecticides found on plants like the ones sold at some big-box store as contributing factors.
“When our insects eat them, including the butterflies, then they die,” Short said. Eventually, birds eat the butterflies and caterpillars and the issue works its way up the food chain. “Eventually you just have the collapse of a whole ecosystem.”
For Short, the point of the festival is to inspire the next generation with a fun, family friendly event. Last year, 3,000 people attended, and the goal is a greater number this year.
“Butterflies are one of the most amazing things that we study,” Jones said. “We wanted to show what we know and share that with the next generation.”
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-790-3029.
Want to go?
The Butterfly Festival flies 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Williamsburg Botanical Garden, 5535 Centerville Road. Admission is free; donations are encouraged. For more information, visit williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org.
