Butterflies burst on the scene at Brookgreen Gardens

The newest additions to Brookgreen Gardens, the 300-acre sculpture garden and wildlife sanctuary near Myrtle Beach, don’t hang around long.

“They don’t live that long: three weeks to a month,” said Helen Benso, vice president of marketing for the gardens.

Benso was talking about the hundreds of colorful butterflies in the “Whispering Wings Butterfly Experience,” which opened last spring.

“In keeping with our mission, the exhibit primarily offers educational interpretation of the importance of butterflies in our environment,” said Benso. “All are native to the Southeast. None of them are the exotic ones from other countries.

“There are monarch, zebra longwing, polydamas swallowtails, pipevine swallowtails, spicebush swallowtails — we are big on swallowtails — julias, buckeyes, queens, painted lady and American lady.

“They have seasons just like plants: Some are spring, some are summer, and some are fall,” she said. “We will have different kinds throughout the year.”

The butterflies are located in a new 78-foot-long, 40-foot-wide structure. “It turns into a lush tropical garden with pathways and all the plants that butterflies like, either to eat or they need for habitat,” said Benso. “There are lots of trees and tropical plants.

“It is enclosed in a very light, fine wire mesh and is open to the elements.”

A window allows visitors to look into the pupae emergence room where they can see the pupae change from chrysalis to adult butterflies. “If you are lucky, you can watch a butterfly come out of its cocoon,” said Benso.

The “Whispering Wings Butterfly Experience” runs from April 1 to Oct. 31 as part of Brookgreen Gardens’ Lowcountry Zoo, the only accredited zoo on the coast of the Carolinas.

Brookgreen Gardens will have a series of new sculpture exhibits in its indoor galleries this year. Beginning in September and running for six months will be “Vanishing Acts,” an interpretive exhibit of endangered species of trees. The exhibit is on loan from the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill.

www.brookgreen.org

For more on Myrtle Beach:

The tide is rolling for Myrtle Beach
Butterflies burst on the scene at Brookgreen Gardens
Myrtle Beach mainstays complete the visitor experience