Silva Creek Botanical Garden Volunteers Madison Haner and Maria Cassler planting the butterfly – Photo by Naava Koenigsberg Dedication Gathering on September 14th, 1:00 pm at Silva Creek Botanical Garden
On Saturday, September 14th, at 1:00 p.m., the community is invited to a dedication event for the Children's Butterfly Garden at Silva Creek Botanical Garden, located at N. Virginia and State Streets in Silver City.
The gathering will include live music provided by Andrew Dahl-Bredine, an interactive butterfly activity for all ages, a puppet show, and cake for everyone to celebrate the re-emerging of the Butterfly.
This event is free and co-sponsored by the Gila Native Plant Society (GNPS) and Heart of the Gila. GNPS manages Silva Creek Botanical Garden and is dedicated to promoting native plants, which are beautiful, adapted to our environment, and support local insects, birds, and other wildlife. Heart of the Gila is a local non-profit that offers environmental education programs and seeks to preserve our watersheds.
Bordered Patch Butterfly on Chocolate Flower in the Children's Butterfly Garden – Photo by Margie GibsonThe re-creation of the Children's Butterfly Garden is part of Phase One of the Gila Native Plant Society's Master Plan for the Botanical Garden. It has been funded by Heart of the Gila, the Gila Native Plant Society, and a New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Trails Plus grant. According to Marty Eberhardt, Chair of the GNPS Botanical Garden Steering Committee, "The Children's Butterfly Garden will be the heart of a larger Children's Pollinator Garden, which will provide activities and displays for children and families about the interrelationships between native plants and their pollinators. GNPS is committed to educating visitors of all ages about the value of native plants, and young people of all ages were involved in creating this expanded garden space." GNPS President Margie Gibson added, "We are thrilled to have the butterfly ready to share with the community. We invite everyone to join us for the dedication and experience all of Silva Creek Botanical Garden in its autumn bloom."
The Children's Butterfly Garden was originally created by local middle schoolers in 2014 and dedicated to the memory of three local teens‒Ella Kirk, Ella Myers, and Michael Mahl‒after their untimely deaths in a small aircraft accident. The three were all dedicated to protecting the environment. Since that time, Heart of the Gila has held dozens of educational events in the garden and taught hundreds of local school children about the importance of pollinators, focused on the Monarch Butterfly and the importance of conserving habitat for endangered species. The Children's Butterfly Garden contains multiple species of milkweed, a plant on which the Monarch depends.
Southern Dogface Butterfly on Orange Butterfly Milkweed in the Children's Butterfly Garden – Photo by Margie GibsonAt the dedication, Patrice Mutchnick, Founder of Heart of the Gila and mother of Ella Kirk, will provide an all ages, hands-on activity focused on butterflies and pollinators. "We are grateful to be a part of the expansion of the Garden and appreciate the hard work of the students at Jose Barrios, the Aldo Leopold Garden Crew, and all the volunteers who helped make this project possible," said Mutchnick. "With new plantings, larger wings, beautiful flagstone pathways, and the addition of two stunning tiled benches, the Children's Butterfly Garden has emerged more beautiful, more accessible and available for learning. It will be a place of learning for many more years to come, and continues to create lasting beauty in honor of our children."
For more information, contact:
Patrice Mutchnick, Director, Heart of the Gila
Naava Koenigsberg, Gila Native Plant Society,
