Over the past 25 years, there has been a significant decline in the populations of monarch butterflies. Monarchs are critical pollinators, supporting our global food supply by turning flowers into fruit. (Pollinators are responsible for 1 in every 3 bites of food!) The Village has undertaken conservation efforts by planting 15 butterfly gardens at various locations in the community, including the Village Green. These gardens not only aid in the recovery of monarch butterfly populations, but they also provide habitat for other pollinators such as bees, beetles, and hummingbirds, which are essential to our ecosystem. The Public Works Department is also working to increase the amount of native flowers used in other plantings throughout the Village.

Our dedicated butterfly gardens consist of native flowering plants including milkweed, the monarch butterfly host plant. Milkweed is the ONLY plant monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on. Once hatched, monarch caterpillars feed on the leaves of milkweed, so you don’t need big blooms to see butterflies. Plant it and they will come! 

The locations of our butterfly gardens are as follows:

1. 1635 Biesterfield Rd: Near entrance gate of Biesterfield Public Works building
2. 1635 Biesterfield Rd: Near parking lot of Biesterfield Public Works building
3. 1635 Biesterfield Rd: Behind the concrete barriers in the field
4. 1725 Vermont Dr: In field across the street from 1725 Vermont Dr
5. 1726 Nerge Rd: At the Village gateway sign
6. West Parkway- North of Gloucester Dr
7. 901 Wellington Ave: Southeast of Village Hall Splash Pad
8. 75 Turner Ave: On West side of entrance of bank
9. 75 Turner Ave: On East side of entrance of bank
10. 1340 Ridge Rd: Located in front of the Village gateway sign
11. Southwest corner of Public Works building
12. Southeast Corner of Clearmont Bridge
13. Southwest Corner of Clearmont Bridge
14. Northwest Corner of Clearmont Bridge
15. Northeast Corner of Clearmont Bridge

Look for monarch eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalis on the leaves of the following IL native milkweed plants (Hint: monarchs often lay eggs on the undersides of milkweed leaves)

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)

Asclepias tuberosa (Orange Butterfly Milkweed)

1. On average, adult butterflies only live for about a month.

2. Butterflies use their legs to determine what type of plant they have landed on. They have special cells on the backs of their legs and feet called chemoreceptors. When a female lands on the leaf, she moves her feet until the leaf releases juices which she tests with her chemoreceptors to make sure it is the right type of plant before laying her eggs!

3. Some butterflies can fly upwards of 37 miles per hour! Most only fly around 5-12 miles per hour.

4. The Monarch is the state insect of Illinois. They are here in spring/summer and fall (May-November) as they migrate to and from their wintering grounds in Mexico.

5. Butterflies do not make cocoons! Instead, they molt into what is called a chrysalis, with a hard exoskeleton that protects the pupa. Cocoons are actually specific to moths! Moths spin a silk cocoon around themselves before their final molt.

6. Many native species of moths’ patterns allow them to blend in perfectly with tree bark, making it harder for predators to detect them.

7. Some caterpillars are remarkably camouflaged (able to blend in with their surroundings) or uniquely patterned in a way that would make a predator not want to eat them!

Asclepias tuberosa (Orange Butterfly Milkweed)

*MONARCH HOST PLANT

Orange butterfly milkweed, growing 1-4ft in height, is recognizable for its upright, hairy stems with lance-shaped leaves. When blooming, it boasts clusters of bright orange flowers which attract monarchs and other pollinators.

Even when flowers aren’t in bloom, monarch butterflies can be spotted nearby, laying their eggs on the leaves. Check the undersides of leaves for a white ridged teardrop shaped egg, about the size of a pen tip. This is a monarch egg! You may also find black, yellow, and white striped monarch caterpillars of varying sizes or even a chrysalis.

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed, Pink Milkweed)

*MONARCH HOST PLANT

The large, bright, terminal blossoms of this showy, 2-4 ft. perennial are made up of small, rose-purple flowers. Deep pink flowers clustered at the top of a tall, branching stem, bearing numerous narrow, lanceolate leaves. Opposite, narrow, lance-shaped leaves line the erect, open-branched stem. Elongated, tan-brown seed pods persist into winter.

The juice of this wetland milkweed is less milky than that of other species. The genus was named in honor of Aesculapius, Greek god of medicine, undoubtedly because some species have long been used to treat a variety of ailments. The Latin species name means "flesh-colored."

Baptisia australis (Blue Wild Indigo, Wild Blue Indigo, Blue False Indigo)

Rising 2-4 ft. high from a woody base, blue wild indigo is a bushy, robust perennial. Flowers are blue-purple and pea-like, congested in dense, upright, terminal spikes, 4-16 in. long. Leaves are divided into three leaflets. In late fall the plant turns silvery-gray, sometimes breaking off at ground level and tumbling about in the wind.

Like other members of the pea family, this plant requires the presence of microorganisms that inhabit nodules on the plant's root system and produce nitrogen compounds necessary for the plant's survival.

Echinacea purpurea (Eastern Purple Coneflower, Purple Coneflower)

A popular perennial with smooth, 2-5 ft. stems lavender flowers. Rough, scattered leaves that become small toward the top of the stem. Flowers occur singly atop the stems and have domed, purplish-brown, spiny centers and drooping, lavender rays. An attractive perennial with purple (rarely white), drooping rays surrounding a spiny, brownish central disk.and long-lasting,

The genus name is from the Greek echinos, meaning "hedgehog," an allusion to the spiny, brownish central disk. The flowers of Echinacea species are used to make a popular herbal tea, purported to help strengthen the immune system; an extract is also available in tablet or liquid form in pharmacies and health food stores. Often cultivated, Purple Coneflower is a showy, easily grown garden plant.

Liatris aspera (Tall Blazing Star, Tall Gayfeather, Tall Liatris, Rough Blazing Star, Rough Gayfeather, Rough Liatris, Button Snakeroot)

A spike of rounded, rayless, pinkish to lavender (sometimes white) flower heads along stiff erect stems covered with grayish hairs. One of the popular gayfeathers, this perennial has an erect, slightly zig-zag stem, 1-4 ft. tall. The stem is lined with short, narrow, bright-green leaves. Button-like, magenta-purple florets cover the upper 18-32 in. of the plant.

This species is distinguished by its roughness and rounded bracts. The origin of the genus name is unknown; the species name is Latin for "rough." Found in eastern North America from the east coast west to Texas and the Dakotas and as far north as southern Ontario, where it is rare and listed by Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife as endangered. 

Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan)

Rudbeckia flowers feature a prominent, raised central disc in black, brown shades of green, and in-between tones, giving rise to their familiar common names of coneflowers and black-eyed-susans. All are native to North America, and many species are cultivated in gardens for their showy yellow or gold flower heads that bloom in mid to late summer.

The species are herbaceous, mostly perennial plants (some annual or biennial) growing to 0.5–3.0 m tall, with simple or branched stems. The leaves are spirally arranged, entire to deeply lobed, and 5–25 cm long. The flowers are produced in daisy-like inflorescences, with yellow or orange florets arranged in a prominent, cone-shaped head; "cone-shaped" because the ray florets tend to point out and down (are decumbent) as the flower head opens. 

Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot, Bee Balm)

Wild bergamot, known by many other common names, is a popular and showy perennial. Clusters of lavender, pink or white flowers, looking like ragged pompoms, bloom atop 2-5 ft., open-branched stems. This showy perennial, frequently cultivated, has aromatic leaves used to make mint tea. Oil from the leaves was formerly used to treat respiratory ailments. The leaves smell minty.

Linnaeus named the genus Monarda in honor of a 16th century Spanish physician and botanist, Nicolas Bautista Monardes (1493-1588). Monardas never went to the Americas but was able to study medicinal plants in Spain because Spain controlled navigation and commerce from the New World.

Sedum spectabile (Stonecrop, 'Autumn Joy')

Sedum Spectabile "Autumn Joy" is a clump-forming perennial that features masses of tiny, star-like flowers which emerge pink, gradually change to deep rose-red  and then coppery-rust in autumn as they die. Flowers appear in large, 3-6" across, flattened heads (cymes) atop stems of grayish-green, fleshy, rounded, succulent-like leaves growing in upright to slightly spreading clumps, typically to 2' tall. Commonly called stonecrop in reference to the frequent sighting of the genus in the wild growing on rocks or stony ledges. Attractive to butterflies throughout the growing season. Foliage and dead inflorescences persist well into the winter providing some additional interest.

A proper butterfly garden includes flowering plants that provide food during the growing season as well as water, shelter, and a place to raise young (host plants).

Food

• Nectar plants: Adult butterflies feed on the nectar (sugary fluid) produced by the flowers of wildflowers, bushes, and/or other trees.

• Host plants: Caterpillars eat the leaves of the plants on which their eggs were laid.  Each species of butterfly has specific host plants on which they lay eggs and on which the caterpillars of that species feed.

• A butterfly garden includes both nectar plants and host plants to support the adults and caterpillars.

Water

• Butterflies get their water needs met by drinking nectar and visiting shallow puddles.
  
  
• Some species will also drink around decomposing plants or animals or around animal dung as a way to acquire minerals.

Shelter

• Butterflies will use bushes or trees in your garden to take refuge from weather or predators.

• Different species of butterflies only lay their eggs on specific species of plants (referred to as “host plants”) 

Native Plants

• The most important part of a butterfly garden is native plants (plants that occur naturally in our area).

• They are better adapted for our specific climate and soil than non-native plant species (do not occur naturally and historically in a specific area; have been introduced).

• Native butterflies have co-evolved (influence each other in the process of development or evolution) with these native plants.

• Native butterflies can more efficiently collect pollen and nectar from native plants.

• This means that they are more likely to be successful than if they were to visit non-native species.

Baby butterflies do not look like adult butterflies.

They go through a process called metamorphosis, in which they go through physical changes.

Step 1 - Eggs:

• Eggs are laid on leaves or stems of "host plants" 
  • Certain species must lay their eggs on specific host plants.
  • These plants become food for the caterpillar when it emerges.

Step 2 - Caterpillars:

• Caterpillars (or larva) hatch from the eggs.
• Has chewing mouthparts and eats the plant on which its egg was laid.
• Caterpillars eat a lot and grow quickly!
• As it grows, it sheds (or molts) several times - its skin becomes too tight and splits open, revealing a new, larger skin underneath.

Step 3 - Chrysalis:

• Once the caterpillar is fully grown, it looks for a safe place that will keep it protected where it can go through metamorphosis.
• It makes a silk-like mat and attaches its last pair of legs to the mat.
• It hangs there as it passes from the larval (caterpillar) stage to the pupa (chrysalis) stage of metamorphosis.
• Inside the chrysalis (casing that protects the changing animal), the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly.
• Its new skin is soft and damp at first, but after about an hour it becomes dry and hard, providing a protective shell for the caterpillar inside.

 Step 4 - Adult Butterfly:

• When the metamorphosis process is complete, the butterfly emerges.
• At first, the wings are tiny, wet, and crumpled.
• The butterfly clings to its empty chrysalis shell the blood-like substance of insects, is pumped through its body.
• About one hour after emerging from its chrysalis, the butterfly's wings are full-sized, dry, and ready for flying.
• It will make short flights until it is strong enough to fly longer distances.

Adult butterflies rely on flight to search for flowers with nectar.

Butterflies use a long, coiled tube-like mouthpart (proboscis) to drink nectar from flowers.

A few days after emerging from the chrysalis, the butterflies are able to mate and begin the life cycle again.