Butterfly Garden program set for April 26

The Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission announced details about its free April indoor program.

The Butterfly Garden presented by Melissa Eikenberry of Hosting Butterflies is 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Carriage House at the Felt Estate, 6597 138^th Ave. The event is free.

Hosting Butterflies is based in Twin Lake in Muskegon County.

Butterfly event

At the Laketown Township event, participants will learn what to plant to help monarchs in their yearly migration, the difference between nectar plants and pollinator plants and why both are needed.

“We will discover the monarch’s lifecycle and why they are important to preserve and protect,” said event organizer Mary Jo Bertolino, parks commission member.

Butterflies are an important pollinator species for both agriculture and wild plants, she said. Monarch butterflies are a good indicator of environmental health, but their numbers are falling due to the decline in their natural habitat.

The event will focus on butterfly gardens, what to plant and where to plant them.

“Whether you have a balcony or many acres to plant, this presentation is for you,” Bertolino said.

The parks commission has been working on a butterfly garden at Huyser Farm Park, 4188 64^th St.

Several years ago, the commission set up a half-acre area at the park as a way help preserve the monarch.

The garden was also dedicated to Parks Commissioner Ellen Fitch who worked with Brett Grams, facilities operations for the township, to make the initial plantings of milkweed to start the garden.

Fitch, 70, passed away in December 2020. The parks commission dedicated a bench to Fitch that is at Huyser Farm, under the park’s gazebo where people can see the butterfly area and the nearby blueberry field.

Other programs

The April butterfly event is part of the first season of indoor programs sponsored by the parks commission.

Events started in January with a hands-only CPR course led by the Graafschap Fire Department. In February, more than 70 people packed the Carriage House to talk wild mushroom identification.

The next free event is 10 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Carriage House. Join West Michigan CISMA and the Allegan Conservation District to learn how to identify and manage common woody invasive species and explore the impacts of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid on West Michigan.

The presentation is by Allegan Conservation District, Murielle Garbarino, Invasive Species Management Area Coordinator, and Jason Cass, Conservation Technician.

For more information on Laketown Township parks, click here.