New butterfly house emerges at Miller Nature Preserve

AVON — Butterflies of multiple shapes and colors fluttered around Miller Nature Preserve's new and improved butterfly house Sunday, exploring their environment while guests got their own first looks inside the structure. The butterfly house has been a popular attraction at the Lorain County Metro Park since it debuted in 2012, drawing about 12,000 visitors each summer to walk among several different species. But after deterioration was observed at the base of the posts holding up the old butterfly house, Metro Parks officials chose to have it redesigned and rebuilt in a more permanent manner. Director Jim Ziemnik described the structure that opened Sunday as an improvement over the previous iteration. In addition to being larger and having expanded vestibule areas at the entrance and exit to keep butterflies from escaping, there are also some unique design elements that were not present in the original butterfly house. Viewed from a nearby patio, the exterior of the structure was designed in a way that resembles a butterfly, said Sherrill "Cookie" McLoda, chairperson of the Board of Park Commissioners. "It just goes to show that what started as a smaller thought and idea has blossomed into a much larger program," Ziemnik said. The butterfly house will be open daily, weather permitting, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Labor Day. Admission is free. Lorain County Metro Parks typically opens the attraction around the Father's Day weekend. Ziemnik said everyone involved in the project worked "tirelessly and frantically these last few weeks to get this thing planted and ready, to get all the butterflies stocked and ready to go." The total cost of the project added up to less than $20,000, Ziemnik said, adding that it was funded entirely with foundation money, endowments established years ago with the Metro Parks. Butterflies kept in the facility are both local and from the southern U.S. About 187 butterflies were in the house Sunday. Linda Paull, Miller Nature Preserve senior naturalist and park manager, said most butterflies live just two weeks as adults, so the number and species in the house is not constant. "We get our shipment from Florida, so it could vary," Paull said. "We get 150 every two weeks." It's not just butterflies in the new facility — flowers and plants provide a friendly habitat. Large-leafed trees are included to offer the butterflies protection from the rain and wind, although Paull said many prefer to cling to the wooden posts instead. A new "Butterfly Buddy" program is planned to help with the ongoing costs of buying and caring for butterflies, which cost about $5 each plus overnight shipping just to obtain. A $10 donation toward the butterfly house will also get donors a wooden ornament to decorate and display in the butterfly house, a pin, activities, stickers, information on butterflies and the garden and a ticket for a butterfly feeding, according to the Metro Parks' website. More information is available at the Miller Nature Preserve, 2739 Center Road, Avon, and its website. The park's phone number is (440) 937-0764. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.