The Roston Native Butterfly House in Springfield is open for the season . The butterfly haven, located at Nathanael Greene-Close Memorial Park on the city's southwest side, opened its doors back up Friday morning.
Dr. Chris Barnhart, an entomologist with Missouri State University, and his wife, Deb, help raise the butterflies from caterpillars to winged insects and serve as the curators at the Butterfly House. The couple gives their own house over to them in the spring.
“I’d be ashamed to let anybody in," he said, laughing, "but we have sweater boxes stacked about four or five feet high raising these fritillary caterpillars. We kind of go all in on this one genus of butterflies because they last so well in the butterfly house. Butterflies that hatch in May might be flying around and looking pretty good at the end of September. And they're big, and there's three different species that we raise, adn two of them are of conservation concern.”
Their caterpillars eat violets, so the Barnharts have been raiding their neighbors’ lawns and gardens for the plants.
The Roston Native Butterfly House is open every day from 10 a.m. to dusk. A group of 40 volunteers with Friends of the Garden help keep it open and answer questions.
Admission is free for individuals and families, but donations are accepted.
Surrounding gardens include the Butterfly Garden, the Wildflower Garden, a Caterpillar Café, a Native Shrub Garden and a Windrider Topiary.
