Position Title: Butterfly Encounter Attendant Department: Learning and Engagement Department Classification: Seasonal, Part-time, non-exempt Reporting to: Director of Member and Visitor Engagement
Butterfly Encounter Attendants are one of the welcoming faces of the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Those in this position work outdoors daily and serve several main functions: to welcome thousands of visitors to the Butterfly Encounter, maintain live butterflies and live plants in the exhibit, and work to educate the public. This is a part-time, non-exempt, temporary position and reports to the Member and Visitor Engagement Director. Position dates are late May 2024 through mid-August 2024. Position requires weekday and weekend hours with evenings possible.
Qualifications
Experience and/or interest in informal interpretation, natural sciences, environmental sciences, education and/or related field or pursuing degree in applicable field
Welcoming and friendly disposition
Experience in customer service and/or sales
Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
Willingness to learn
Willingness to work outdoors
Ability to work in a team setting as well as able to maintain quality work while unsupervised
Ability to multi-task, prioritize and manage time
Must be able to lift 20 lbs
Valid Georgia Driver’s License
General Duties and Responsibilities
Conduct daily care and operation procedures for butterfly encounter in an outdoor setting
Assist CNC visitors with educational information about butterflies and host plants
Provide highest quality customer service to visitors
Manage flow of crowds
Promote CNC programs and activities
Other duties as assigned
To apply, Please send a cover letter and resume to recruiting@chattnaturecenter.org with “BEA” in the subject line. Application deadline is April 30th. No phone calls, please. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
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.
The 25th 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!
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 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: Papilio polyxenes, Black Swallowtail Host Plants: Variety of plants in the Apiaceae family including: Carrots, Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Celery, Caraway
Butterfly: Papiliocresphontes, Giant Swallowtail Host Plants: Variety of trees and herbs in Rutaceae family including: Prickly Ash, Hop Tree, Common Rue
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: Siproetastelenes, 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.
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!
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.
Photo Contest Details
Do you see the silliness in a swallowtail hanging upside down? What about joy in a Julia longwing flapping through the air? Show us butterflies through your lens this summer through our weekly photo contest. Submit your entries by posting your favorite photo to Instagram then follow and tag CNC @chattahoocheenaturecenter! Winners will be selected each week and will win a pair of tickets to CNC.
The 25th 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.
Online Advanced Ticket Sales
>> Tickets Sales Open: May 1 with CNC member presale starting April 24
>> Ticket Price: $25; 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 Giving Society members make sure to request festival tickets included with your membership. Contact Amy at membership@chattnaturecenter.org.
>> Ticket sales are non-refundable.
Butterfly Encounter Guided Experience
>> 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.
The Details
>> 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.
Butterfly Entertainment
Saturday: Coming Soon Sunday: Coming Soon
Butterfly Encounter
Guided experience through the exhibit with hundreds of native butterflies
Native Plant Sale
Host and nectar plants for butterflies and other pollinators available for purchase
Vendor Information
Are you an organization or performer interested in being part of Butterfly Festival? Information and application are below. Due by April 26, 2024.
A Night Out with Nature sets itself apart from the usual fundraisers. It provides complete immersion in CNC’s offerings while you savor cocktails, enjoy music on the river boardwalk and discover our resident animal ambassadors during a leisurely stroll through the Wildlife Walk.
Relish delectable food and dessert stations with Kingfisher Pond as your backdrop, snap a selfie by our captivating staircase mural titled “The Flow” by Thomas Turner, and culminate the night with a champagne toast on the bridge. All of this, while contributing to our vital operational funding that fuels our mission to unite people with the wonders of nature. This is a night unlike any other!
THE DETAILS
>> Contribute to vital operational funding that fuels our mission to unite people with the wonders of nature
>> Meet resident animal ambassadors and discover the unique wildlife found in Georgia
>> Special fund the need opportunity, plus live auction
>> Support CNC’s mission to connect people with nature
Alyse & Rick Hirsekorn BIS Benefits Bob Hagan Breedlove Land Management Gary & Maria Ludi Harriette Hoyt & Brian McCormack Hazen and Sawyer Helen Tapp HGOR J&A Engineering Jim & Esther Stokes New South Construction Richard & Marcia Jacobson Sandi Buttram & Brian Dycus Smith + Howard
Highlighting Tales around our Favorite Animals with wings, scales, and tails
By Emma Schell, Scheduling Coordinator August 1, 2020
This fall at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, we are highlighting some of our favorite animals with wings, scales, and tails, but we also want to take a look at some of the TALES surrounding these critters.
Folklore and mythology are full of stories about all manner of remarkable and magical creatures. Though many of these tales are fictitious, we can turn to nature to discover the very real animals that inspired their stories.
Here are five mythical tales and their real-life counterparts:
1. Mermaids and Manatees
Stories of mermaids, sirens, and other humanoid water-dwellers are found in much of seafaring lore. In many myths, these creatures appear as women, sometimes with tails and sometimes without, who cause all sorts of ill luck for ships and their crews.
Today, many historical mermaid sightings are attributed to manatees and their close relative the dugong. These animals are capable of performing “tail stands” which allow them to emerge vertically from the surface of the water, and they are also able to turn their heads side-to-side like a human. From far off, these behaviors may have been enough to convince sailors that they had seen a mermaid.
Though we may have debunked the myth of the Kraken, the giant squid is a legendary creature in its own right. It is one of the largest invertebrates on earth, and the first video of one swimming in the ocean wasn’t captured until 2013. Though we know much more than we did in 1853, the giant squid’s elusiveness means we still have much more to learn.
3. Ghosts and Barn Owls
What better combination could we find than ghosts and barn owls? Ghosts star in of dozens of tales and stories, and barn owls can be found at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. In fact, if you’ve visited the barn owl enclosure and read the signs there, you already know about this relationship.
Barn owls can be found nesting in barns, attics, and even bell towers, and they emit a distinctive screeching call which can be quite jarring. Combine this call with the reflection of moonlight off a barn owl’s white feathers, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a ghost sighting.
4. Will-o’-the-Wisps and Methane
Will-o’-the-Wisp is one of the names given to lights that are sometimes seen floating in swampy areas. In some folklore these lights are attributed to spirits or fairies and are often ascribed the menacing motive of luring travelers away from safe paths.
One potential explanation for these lights is the combustion of natural gases. Swamps play host to lots of decaying matter, and this decomposition leads to the release of many gases, including methane. It’s thought that methane, in combination with the perfect amount of other gases, may ignite in the air, causing these small floating lights to appear for short periods of time. So there are likely no goblins in the swamp, just some really cool chemistry.
5. Butterflies and Witches
This last one doesn’t fit as neatly into the list, as tales about witches don’t originate from butterflies. In fact, the relationship might go the other way.
If you’ve stopped to think about it, you may have realized that “butterfly” is an interesting name choice. What do these insects have to do with butter? The origin of the word is not known for certain, but one explanation turns to witches. It is said that people once believed witches could turn themselves into butterflies and would steal milk and butter in this new flying form.
By Taylor Lamb, Horticulturist at CNC July 26, 2020
There is no better time than now to get outside and stretch your legs and your brain! In the horticulture department at the CNC, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of native plant species, and we thought it would be fun to challenge visitors of all ages to a friendly scavenger hunt!
Georgia is renowned for its vastly differing landscapes. From the sandy, dry terrain of The Coastal Plains to the cool, moist climate of The Blue Ridge Mountains, plant species across Georgia have adapted over time to fill every niche.
This variety produces absolutely stunning and unique specimens that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. Each of our gardens across the CNC strives to emanate these unique habitats, and we would love it if you join us on this virtual tour throughout our property.
Plan your visit to CNC to explore the gardens and try to find as many species as you can! Some of the plants are not in top bloom so it will be even more of a challenge!
Cowboy Pants: Garden on your left as you exit the top of the Discovery Center
Rudbeckia maxima, Large Coneflower
Extremely tall flowers that can reach 8 feet in height! In the Fall these tall stalks need to be stabilized so they don’t fall in the way of the path.
Schizachyrium scoparium, Little Bluestem Grass
Little Blue-Stem is aptly named as its foliage has blue tints to it. This becomes more apparent as Autumn approaches.
Craft’s Memorial Garden: Garden on your right as you exit the top of the Discovery Center
Manfreda virginica, False Aloe
This aloe plant look-alike fools many! It has an aloe-like basal rosette and tall flowering stalks that can reach 5 feet.
This garden is home to many different species of milkweed – the host plant of the monarch butterfly. Monarch’s require these tall slender plants to reproduce.
Longleaf Pine Gardens: Gardens across the Brady Pavillion
Pinus palustris, Long-leaf Pine
These pines differ from the typical Loblolly Pine that we find around Atlanta with their long leaves and their distinctive growing habits. Immature adults will have one major shoot will stay in this form until they reach adulthood. Then they will branch off to look like a more standard pine.
Barbara’s Button Garden: Garden just below the Great Horned Owl Exhibit
Marshallia caespitosa, Barbara’s Button
Eccentric, low-growing perennial that forms white fluff ball blooms in early Summer.
Georgia’s Living Wetland: Garden past the Brady Pavilion as you walk the unpaved paths near the exit to the boardwalk.
Sarracenia sp, Pitcher Plant
This carnivorous plant is a perfect example of a species that has adapted to fill niches where most organisms would have trouble surviving. Pitcher plants thrive in highly acidic, nutrient-poor environments. When they feel an insect inside of their opening, they shut their hood trapping insects inside digesting/dissolving the prey slowly over time. We have many species in this garden including Purple Pitcher Plant, Yellow Pitcher Plant, and more.
We hope that you have enjoyed a virtual tour of the gardens found at the CNC. There are many other plants to explore in the gardens and we hope that you will plan your visit and take the time to experience the native gardens and all that they have to offer.