Butterfly habitat opening May 23

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Clarence Calhoun IV, 6, of Bowling Green visits the Charlie Miller Butterfly House at Lost River Cave with his family in July 2021. This year, the habitat will open to the public on May 23. BELOW: Butterflies feed on pollen in the Charlie Miller Butterfly House in 2021.

The Charlie Miller Butterfly Habitat has been a fixture at Lost River Cave for years, delighting visitors with the many species of colorful inhabitants that reside there.

Preparations are currently underway for the May 23 opening of the habitat, which will be filled with butterflies, host plants and nectar plants.

Katie Cielinski, director of philanthropy at Lost River Cave, said the habitat was built by the Bowling Green JCI Senators in 1997 in memory of one of its members, Charlie Miller.

“It was opened to give the community something special to experience,” she said.

Several species of Kentucky native butterflies will make the habitat their home this summer, including the monarch, painted lady, gulf fritillary, common buckeye, giant swallowtail and red admiral. Cielinski said the number of butterflies in the habitat will fluctuate throughout the summer.

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“On average, a butterfly’s lifespan is around two weeks, but in the habitat, since there are no natural predators, they can live three to six weeks on average,” she said.

She said it costs around $20,000 annually to produce the habitat for the community.

Several releases will be held during the summer, which “is our way to say thank you to those who donate to the habitat.”

If a supporter makes a donation of $40 or more, they will receive a link to an exclusive invite for up to four people to one of the releases.

“It’s really a labor of love,” Cielinski said. “The releases are for our donors. The habitat is free to the public, but that wouldn’t be possible without the help of our supporters.”

For those who would like to create a butterfly garden in their very own backyard, lostrivercave.org has links that offer tips, give information on specific plants that will attract butterflies and show a sample butterfly garden design.

“We are so grateful to everyone who supports the habitat,” Cielinski said. “It’s a special place that connects people, especially children, to the pollinators and plants that we are all dependent on.”

Anyone who wants to make a donation can visit lostrivercave.org/butterfly.