Fanwood Municipal Butterfly Garden

Troop 33 Eagle Project – Brian Felber

Habitat and Species

Among the two species of Monarch butterflies, the one in North America differs from the one you will find in South America, but the Caribbean is home to both species. You can also see them in Australia, New Zealand, and several Islands lying between Australia and Tahiti, in parts of Europe and in Hawaii.

The Metamorphoses

• The Monarch butterflies go through prolonged stages of metamorphoses, starting with its larva or caterpillar, shedding or molting its skin an amazing five times before the pupa stage
• The caterpillar may eat its shed skin in four of its five molts in the stages referred to as “instar”
• A black spot on an inside surface of its hind wing distinguishes the male Monarch butterflies from the females that have no such spot
• The monarch butterfly does not have lungs; breathing takes place through tiny vents in the thorax or abdomen called spiracles, and an organized arrangement of tubes called trachea, distribute the oxygen through the Monarch’s body system
• They have a 10 cm wingspan and weigh between 0.25 to 0.75 grams
• The wings flap slower than other butterflies at about 300 to 720 times a minute
• Senses of smell and vision help the Monarch butterflies to assess its environment

Butterflies are beneficial to the environment through the symbiotic relationship they maintain with the plants they visit and their preferences for organic, native habitats. Although the larval caterpillar feeds on its host plant, this minimal damage is often worth the benefits that come from the adult butterfly. With the visual appeal of these showy insects, humans are drawn to increase their knowledge of butterflies, resulting in a greater understanding of our role in protecting them.

Butterflies are attracted to brightly colored, fragrant flowers and feed on nectar produced by the flowers. As the butterflies travel from one flower to another, they pollinate the plants, resulting in further development of plant species. Numerous plants rely on pollinators, such as butterflies, for reproduction.

Project Summary

The purpose of creating the monarch butterfly garden at the Fanwood Municipal building was to provide a beautiful home for the caterpillars and butterflies. My garden consists of 55 native plants. This includes Leucothoe, Rhododendrons, and Itea Virginica (Little Henry); as well as small Clethra bushes (sweet pepper bush, Tuberosa milkweed, swamp milkweed, and common milkweed). The other perennials donated from Ambergs Farm are the Chelone (turtlehead), and the tall growing rudbeckia (black eyed Susan).

Additional plants included in this garden:

• Eupatorium coelestinum Blue Mistflower
• Eupatorium purpureum Joe-Pye Weed
• Helenium autumnale
• Liatris spicata Dense Blazing star
• Pentstemon hirsutus
• Hairy Beardtongue
• Rudbeckia lancinata
• Cutleaf Coneflower
• Veronia Noverboracensis New York Ironweed
• Echinacea Purpurea Purple Coneflower

We finished off the garden by spreading natural hard wood mulch and posting a sign. I would like to thank Ambergs Farm for the providing a discount on the plants and Pinelands Nursery for their plant donations, as well as the Fanwood DPW for donating and delivering mulch.

Photographs