The Detroit News:
Brenda Dziedzic caught the bug, or butterfly, early on.
She has fond memories of the fields near where she grew up in Waterford Township teeming with butterflies at a time in her life when she didn’t know a black swallowtail from a pearl crescent.
“They always just seemed so beautiful and peaceful,” said Dziedzic, 62, who now operates a butterfly habitat in Westland. “When you see them, it just brings a smile to your face.”
Smiles have been in shorter supply recently as the population of monarch butterflies, one of the most popular species in the United States, has been in a steep decline in Michigan and across the country. It’s a pattern experts believe was caused by a combination of factors and put the future of Danaus plexippus in question.
Nancy Panther says
What is needed for a butterfly habitat? I have tons of milkweed, lots of flowers and a birdbath with water that is cleaned everyday. Going to take some milkweed up to my cottage and plant it on the edge of the woods where there is none. We have lots of butterflies up on the Lake Pleasant in Michigan but want to make a habitat up there for them.
jhofley says
Nancy- You might check out the article link below and also do a search for butterfly or butterflies on our homepage. We have dozens of articles covering butterflies. Thanks for reading! – Jonathon http://www.michigangardener.com/website-extra-bewitched-by-butterflies/