Swallowtails join Monarchs at butterfly exhibit

Goshen — Some new butterflies are spreading their glorious wings as the Hudson Valley Landscaping Nursery and Garden Center gets ready for Mother’s Day, this Sunday. Last year’s butterfly exhibit, the first, featured monarch butterflies only, said owner Mark Press. But this year some painted ladies and swallowtails in two colors will join the fluttering crowd to delight mothers and their entourages. All butterflies are New York State natives to prevent incursions of invasive species, Press said. The butterflies are shipped in protective envelopes. They are kept cool, which keeps them “mellow” until their release, he said. Some of the butterflies were released starting Thursday. Monarchs will be coming in a week or two. “We also have chrysalises so the kids can see the butterflies emerge,” Press said. “Whether you’re a child or an adult, no matter what language you speak or job you hold, everybody likes butterflies,” Press said last year, when launching his colorful enterprise at 2709 Route 17M in Goshen. The butterfly house will remain open all summer. Visitors can linger there as long as they like, to sit and relax or feed the butterflies. The monarchs will be released into the wild in autumn, when all monarchs fly south to one place in Mexico. They’ll join large flocks of monarchs from all over the northeast. Children will be able to safely place a sticker on a butterfly to identify it. Natives in Mexico collect the information and put it in a central database. Children then can look on the Internet to see if their butterflies were found. Signage at the exhibit will explain the life cycle of a butterfly, and staff will be there to answer questions. The center is able to accommodate large groups of children, and Press is encouraging teachers to bring their students. Customers will find fun items like flashlights, necklaces, and rings, and for the more serious butterfly watchers, a real chrysalis and full habitats with all that’s needed, including milkweed, to keep a monarch healthy. Butterfly plants will be sale for those who want to attract these lovely creatures to their own gardens. Hours are as follows: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call 294-0995.