Butterfly trail offers tranquility
If you're looking to escape the singeing summer or experience a soothing bit of nature, why not take a mosey along the Butterfly and Native Plant Trail at Moraine State Park?
To find this local treasure, start out on the gravel bike trail extension near McDanel's Boat Launch on the North Shore.
Two access points from the bike trail extension provide entry to the 13 acres of mixed habitat and natural areas of the Butterfly and Native Plant Trail. The trail is open to the public during hours of park operation (dawn to dusk).
Working in conjunction with Moraine State Park personnel, Butler County Master Gardeners are the trail's chief caretakers. Their goal is to educate park visitors on plants and pollinators native to the area, and to this end they have planted flowering perennials and shrubs with an eye to enhancing habitat for insect wildlife.
As you meander the network of pathways, frogs might croak at you from a small pond bisected by an arched bridge. The pond is surrounded by and filled with native aquatic flora. You can also relax near a gazebo surrounded by native plants or walk to a floating dock with a bench sitting amid water-loving shrubs and small trees.
On your journey, you will see or pass through a variety of habitats: woodlands, wetlands and a prairie. Paths through the trees take you over wooden bridges that span drainages and offer a calming view of the lake.
A major focus at the trail is to create and maintain a butterfly habitat. Native pollinators in general are in decline and butterflies are no exception. Many adult butterflies need nectar for food.
Throughout their life span, butterflies also need a host plant on which to lay eggs and provide food for the growing caterpillars. In some instances, butterflies and their host plants have evolved in tandem.When the host plant is eradicated by development or crowded out by invasive plant species, the butterfly cannot lay its eggs and its population declines.Butterfly species may even become widely or locally endangered. The most well-known case of this phenomenon is the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly, which lays its eggs on milkweed species (Asclepias spp.).In addition to providing food for Monarch caterpillars, the milkweed delivers a chemical that accumulates in the Monarch's system, making Monarchs foul-tasting to the birds that would otherwise eat them.You will find swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), butterfly weed (A. tuberosa) and common milkweed (A. syriaca) at or near the trail.The Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) is another butterfly that has definite favorites about where to lay its eggs. These butterflies prefer spicebush (Lindera benzoin) or sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Look for the spicebush shrubs and sassafras trees at the trail.Adult butterflies are not particular about their nectar sources, and most will feed from a variety of flowers. The trail has many perennials that provide food for adult butterflies. Naturally, the plants in bloom and the butterflies you might find change with the seasons.Plan on visiting the trail in the spring, summer and fall to view the butterflies as they feed on the native plants.Spring brings flowers of the golden alexander (Zizia aurea), native columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum). Pinxterbloom azaleas (Rhododendron periclymenoides) reward woodland walkers with a gorgeous vision of pink blooms.
Butterflies such as Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), Comma (P. comma) and Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) can be spotted along the trail.The Question Mark, Comma and Mourning Cloak butterflies overwinter as adults, and their caterpillars use early leafing trees such as dogwood (Cornus florida), elm (Ulmus spp.) and black cherry (Prunus serotina) for food.As spring turns to early summer, the blooms of native indigo (Baptisia australis) and smooth penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) make their appearances. The soft brown Wild Indigo Duskywing butterfly (Erynnis baptisiae) appears, too.Through summer and into fall, there is an ever-changing panorama of color at the trail, especially in the prairie area. The milkweeds bloom with their bright orange and pink colors.Two bee balms, pink (Monarda fistulosa) and red (M. didyma), along with deep purple blazing star (Liatris spp.) create a glorious show. Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) attracts pollinators at the edge of the prairie. Rosebay rhododendron shows off pink-tinged white blooms on the woodland path, while the white spheres of the buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) shrub decorate the water's edge at the pond and floating dock.If your timing is right, you might find the prairie area covered in a magical veil of white: the tiny blooms of flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata).As autumn approaches, the mauve purple Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) gives way to the deeper purple of ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis). Asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) show their blooms and provide a lovely backdrop to the goldenrods (Solidago spp.). These flowers provide a feast for adult butterflies.Butterflies you might spot during the summer and early fall include the Monarch and its look-alike cousin, the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus).
You could come across Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), American or Painted Ladies (V. virginiensis and V. cardui), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) or Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) as they feed on the flowers.Less colorful but no less charming, the Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) and the Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) butterflies make their appearances at the trail. A wide variety of skippers — so named for their quick, darting flight habits — have been identified.In addition to maintaining and enhancing the native habitats, the Master Gardeners work to keep invasive species under control.Plans for additional milkweed stands to support the Monarch, an identification brochure for visitor use, and additional signage for plants are in the works.Mary Alice Koeneke and Susan Struthers are Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County.
