Butterfly House and Native Plant Garden Tour

On Thursday July 30, Hawthorne Valley’s Farmscape Ecology Program is offering tours of the completed Butterfly House and the Native Plant Garden at the Creekhouse of Hawthorne Valley Farm. The tours are by appointment only and limited to five participants who agree to follow the COVID-19 protocol detailed below.

The Butterfly House will have temporary, wild-caught butterfly visitors for you to see up close. Most of these will be returned to the wild after Thursday, and we will only be bringing in common species. During the tour, you will have an opportunity to watch them nectar on the colorful flowers and to learn about their life and how to distinguish some of the common butterfly species.

The Native Plant Garden currently is home to approximately 100 species of native plants. More than 60 of them have been labeled, so you can easily find the ones you are interested in (see list of labeled plants). Of course, not all of them will be in bloom when you visit! But the FEP team will be happy to show you around and describe how each of the garden sections has been created.

Finally, there is a selection of potted native wildflowers which you can bring to your own garden in exchange for a donation to support FEP’s native plant propagation efforts.

If you would like to make an appointment for a visit on Thursday, July 30, please contact Nellie and let her know your preferred time (10:30 -11:30 am; 2-3pm; or 3:30-4:30pm). She will then follow up with you.

We ask you to please

• Self-screen your health and don’t come if you or somebody in your household experiences COVID-like symptoms, if you know that you or anybody in your household has been exposed to somebody with COVID, or if you or anybody in your household has recently traveled to a location where COVID cases are high (please see here for a list of these states).
• Bring a mask to wear while in the group and be prepared to practice social distancing.
• Do not bring any children younger than 7 years (we like children, but social distancing often isn’t their forte!)
• Leave your dogs at home
• Do not plan on using the bathroom or otherwise entering the Creekhouse (which is currently still closed to the public)

As a precaution, we will keep a log of the visitors in case contact tracing becomes necessary.

We are looking forward to seeing you in person!