Join Atlanta based nature photographer Eric Bowles for a workshop to help you make better photographs of butterflies and other garden subjects. You’ll have private access to the Butterfly Encounter and the butterfly garden, along with classroom time to talk about technique, equipment, and tips.
Ages 16+; $50 general public / $40 CNC Members. Advanced Registration Required by Thursday, July 13.
CNC Members enjoy exclusive early access to the Butterfly Encounter! Beat the heat and start your day with CNC. Please visit chattnaturecenter.org for important need-to-knows before visiting your fluttery friends. Members are encouraged to make advanced reservations. Spots are timed and limited, however walk-ups may be able to be accommodated based on daily visitation.
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Grab your friends, your family, or even a date, and head to CNC for the year’s most popular exhibit! Join hundreds of live soaring and sleeping butterflies in CNC’s outdoor, tented Butterfly Encounter. Photo opportunities abound, be sure to bring your camera! Nectar and host plants are also available for purchase to start your own butterfly garden or supplement your existing garden.
Purchase admission tickets in advance to secure a date and time for your visit. Members do not need to make advance reservations.
Special visiting opportunities will also be available. Visit the Butterfly Encounter page for details.
(Included with General Admission and Free to CNC Members)
SPECIAL THANKS TO
The 24th Annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival will delight everyone as we celebrate all things pollinators! Visit with live butterflies at the Butterfly Encounter for an intimate experience and great photo opportunities. You can meet with pollinator experts and educators to learn all about pollinator power. Take part in the migration game throughout the festival and learn about monarch migration. Enjoy tasty food, live entertainment and fun!
All ages welcome; $25 general public / $20 CNC Members. Tickets available on May 3 with CNC member presale on April 26.
March 16, 2021
There are two parts to any successful butterfly garden: nectar sources and host plants. Nectar is an important source of food for many pollinators, and luckily there are many different types of annuals and perennials that provide this resource.
To attract native pollinators to your garden, we recommend planting native annuals and perennials that would typically be found in your area naturally. Butterflies see in ultraviolet light, so bright colored flowers with a lighter center can act as a target to help attract pollinators. Butterflies also prefer a space to land while feeding on the nectar, so native species with larger petals or petals that form in clumps will also help attract butterflies to your garden.
The National Wildlife Federation provides these additional tips when selecting nectar plants:
Here is a short list of nectar sources that have been used in our Butterfly Encounter at CNC throughout the years.
Annuals: Lantana ‘New Gold’, Petunia ‘Wave White’, Calibrachoa ‘Blue Legend’, Zinnia ‘Profusion’, Verbena ‘Vepita Dark Red’, Plumbago
Perennials: Gaillardia pulchella, Indian Blanket, Coreopsis sp., Tickseed, Stokesia laevis, Stokes aster, Pycnanthemum sp., Mountain mints
The second item necessary for a successful butterfly garden are host plants. Host plants are required for a butterfly’s reproductive cycle.
When a caterpillar hatches from its egg, it must eat from a specific plant to survive. If an egg is laid on a plant that is not the correct host plant, the caterpillar will hatch, try to eat whatever plant they are on, and then die. Therefore, if you would like to attract a wide variety of native butterflies to your garden, be sure to plant a wide variety of native host plants!
Below, you can find the list of host plants to some of the native butterflies of Georgia.
Butterfly: Danaus plexippus, Monarch
Host Plant: Asclepias incarnata
Butterfly: Papilio polyxenes, Black Swallowtail
Host Plants: Variety of plants in the Apiaceae family including: Carrots, Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Celery, Caraway
Butterfly: Papilio cresphontes, Giant Swallowtail
Host Plants: Variety of trees and herbs in Rutaceae family including: Prickly Ash, Hop Tree, Common Rue
Butterfly: Battus philenor, Pipevine Swallowtail
Host Plant: Pipevines (Aristolochia species)
Butterfly: Papilio troilus, Spicebush Swallowtail
Host Plant: Plants belonging to Lauraceae family
Butterfly: Papilio glaucus, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Host Plant: Common host plants in Magnoliaceae and Rosaceae families including: Tulip Tree, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Wild Black Cherry
Butterfly: Siproeta stelenes, Malachite
Host Plants: Ruellia coccinea and other plants in the Acanthaceae family
Butterfly: Heliconius charithonia, Zebra Longwing
Host Plant: Several passion flower vine species (Passiflora sp.) including: Purple Passionflower, Corkystem Passionflower, Yellow Passionflower and more
Butterfly: Vanessa cardui, Painted Lady
Host Plants: More than 100 species of plants have been recorded as a host plant for the Painted Lady including: Compositae family, Boraginaceae family, Malvaceae family
Butterfly: Agraulis vanillae, Gulf Fritillary
Host Plant: Many species in the Passiflora family including: Purple Passionflower and Corkystem Passionflower
Along with nectar and host plants there are also a few other things to consider when planning your butterfly garden. They are not plant related, but just as important for attracting butterflies.
Create a spot for butterflies to rest. Butterflies need sun and warmth to dry their wings and be ready for flight. Flat stones in your garden are a great place for them to warm up and get ready for the day.
Did you know that butterflies need to drink water? Puddling is a term for when butterflies congregate on wet sand and mud. Birds & Blooms shares details on what to consider when making a spot for puddling. Kidsgardening.org has a step by step guide to making a puddle for your garden. All ages can take part in this activity! The butterflies will appreciate it!
If you would like more information on other plants you can include in your butterfly garden at home, you can visit your local county extension office or shop at the native plant sales at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. The Spring Native Plant sale happens the last weekend of March and first weekend of April and the Fall Native Plant Sale happens in September. There are horticulturists, master gardeners, and garden experts at the plant sales that can help you pick the right plants for your butterfly garden.
Bring together nectar sources and host plants in your garden, along with a few other features, and you will be on your way to attracting butterflies and other pollinators throughout spring, summer, and fall!
July 14, 2020 – Fox 5 Atlanta, Good Day Atlanta
By Paul Milliken
ROSWELL, Ga. – Reservations are required and masks are abundant, but aside from the obvious changes due to the coronavirus pandemic, staffers at the Chattahoochee Nature Center say their popular Butterfly Encounter will provide the same magical experience for visitors this year.
This year’s Butterfly Encounter opened last month will will continue daily through August 2nd, welcoming visitors into a butterfly-filled tent and allowing them to see the delicate winged creatures closer than ever before.
The year’s most popular exhibit is back for its 10th summer. Get up close and personal with hundreds of native butterflies surrounded by colorful nectar plants. Photo opportunities abound, be sure to bring your camera. You’ll also have the opportunity to purchase nectar and host plants to start your own butterfly garden or supplement your existing garden.
>> Included with general admission and free to CNC Members. Purchase admission tickets in advance to secure a date and time for your visit.
>> During inclement weather (including rain, excessive wind, and/or thunder) the encounter may close temporarily for safety reasons.
The 24th Annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival will delight everyone as we celebrate all things pollinators!
>> Visit with LIVE butterflies at the Butterfly Encounter.
>> Meet with pollinator experts and educators.
>> Take part in the Migration Game throughout the festival and learn about monarch migration.
>> Enjoy tasty food and live entertainment.
>> Tickets sales open May 3 with CNC member presale starting on April 26
>> Ticket Price: $25 General Public/$20 CNC Members (children 2 and under are free); includes all activities throughout the day
>>We may be able to accommodate walk-ups at the event depending on daily visitation.
>> Groups should purchase tickets together to select the same Butterfly Encounter guided experience. If your group is larger than the tickets available, you will need to purchase tickets at an adjacent time.
>> Family Plus, Naturalist, and Legacy Circle members make sure to request festival tickets included with your membership. Contact Amy at membership@chattnaturecenter.org.
>> Ticket sales are non-refundable.
>> New this year! To create an enjoyable experience in the Butterfly Encounter the time on your ticket is the time your guided experience will begin from the plaza.
>> The group will be led to the Butterfly Encounter where the Butterfly Attendants will be available to help you make the most of your experience with the butterflies.
>> You may arrive early to enjoy the festival activities, however you will need to return to the Plaza 15 minutes before the time on your ticket to join your guided experience group.
>> Bring your tickets on the day of the event.
>> Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your ticket time. Allow time for parking and entrance.
>> Events are rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, most activities will be moved inside.
>> Please carpool! There is limited parking in the CNC parking lot.
Friday, August 18 | 10AM-12PM and 1-3PM
Saturday, August 19 | 10:30AM-12:30PM and 1:30-3:30PM
Open to anyone interested in participating in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census. Come count pollinators with us in the Butterfly Garden! CNC is participating in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census in an effort to learn more about the beneficial insects in our gardens and to help with pollinator conservation. Put on your sunhat and your sunscreen and join us outdoors to sit, observe and count. A wonderful experience and learning opportunity for all ages to watch pollination in action on the wildflowers growing here at CNC. Ages 8-100+.
If you have any specific questions about the training, please contact CNC Horticulture Manager Jacqueline McRae at j.mcrae@chattnaturecenter.org.
(Included with General Admission and Free to CNC Members)
Have you ever wanted some one-on-one time with butterflies? Join CNC for a family-friendly morning with exclusive access to CNC’s Butterfly Encounter where you can enjoy a light breakfast, experience several species of butterflies, and explore the grounds prior to opening.
Ages 4 to adult. $25 general public/$15 CNC Members (price per person). Advanced Registration Required by the Thursday before each session.
