Butterflies weren’t just fluttering in the imagination of Starkville Town and Country Garden Club members Tuesday – they were the subject of a hands-on lesson from Lynn Wells of the Oxford Garden Club on how to host a butterfly release.
“Now that our annual butterfly release has gotten established in the community, the children come dressed up as butterflies, have butterflies painted on their faces, or wear jewelry, hats, or shirts with butterflies on them, and the expressions on children’s faces is just magical when a butterfly lands on them,” Wells told the club at their February 5 meeting at the home of Beverly and Nelson Jones.
The session was part of the Starkville club’s ongoing efforts to support pollinators. The club already maintains a certified pollinator garden at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum and is exploring hosting its own butterfly release modeled after Oxford’s five-year tradition, which has grown from 450 butterflies in its first year to 1,000 last year.
“It’s not often we get to learn tips from someone as experienced as Lynn Wells, one of the coordinators of the Oxford Garden Club’s event,” said Vice President Connie Templeton. “Our club has been focused on helping pollinators thrive in our area for several years now, which is why we are considering hosting a butterfly release.”
Butterfly releases are as much about education as they are about spectacle. The highlight of Oxford’s event is the “immersion tent,” a screened tent filled with fresh flowers where children enter one at a time holding flowers to attract the butterflies. Once inside, hundreds of butterflies flutter around them, landing on flowers or outstretched hands.
But there’s a serious purpose behind the beauty. Pollinator populations – including honeybees, butterflies, birds, and bats – are declining due to habitat loss, disease, parasites, and environmental chemicals, according to USDA.gov. These animals are critical for pollinating crops and flowers, and their decline could have widespread consequences for humans.
“If we don’t help these pollinators, we will not have a world,” Wells said. “Yes, butterflies are beautiful, and you get butterfly kisses at a butterfly release. But the main point of a butterfly release is to help pollinators sustain life.”
Club members asked Wells about the logistics and challenges of hosting a release. Weather is one of the biggest hurdles: butterflies must be released within 24 hours of arrival from the grower, even if it rains. Wells shared practical tips drawn from her five years of coordinating Oxford’s event, as well as her experience as an engineer and licensed architect.
Founded in 1965, the Starkville Town and Country Garden Club is a member of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc., the Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. The club focuses on educating members through monthly programs, regional workshops, and the promotion of backyard wildlife habitats and pollinator-friendly gardening.
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