The Butterfly House at Garden Crossings

Here in West Michigan, the “Butterflies are Blooming” event at our local botanical garden, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, is one of the biggest attractions every year in late winter/early spring. So, we thought, why not build a butterfly house right here at Garden Crossings?

We love watching butterflies, and grow many of the nectar and host plants they need, so it was a natural fit. Our goal is to help our guests and our community learn how to garden in harmony with butterflies and to create a place where people can come to observe the circle of life from chrysalis to butterfly.

There is always something happening in the Garden Crossings Butterfly House!

Monarch caterpillar and butterfly on milkweed plant

A flock of monarch butterflies on allium

Garden Crossings Butterfly House in Zeeland, MI

Tiny baby monarch caterpillars on milkweed leaf

Garden Crossings metal butterfly chair in the butterfly house

Monarch butterfly on purple butterfly bush

Each year we raise and release thousands of monarch butterflies from our butterfly house in Zeeland, Michigan. We bring in monarch caterpillars in May and provide them with plenty of food and warmth to grow. We’ll usually raise over 4-5 generations of monarch butterflies in a single season (from around May through October), watching as the baby caterpillars grow and transition into chrysalis, then emerge as beautiful butterflies!

The Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle

Egg

Milkweed is the only host plant for monarch butterflies, meaning, it is the only plant the females are able to lay their eggs on. The eggs are laid on the undersides of the leaves and appear as tiny white dots. Once the egg is laid, it takes roughly 4 days before the egg hatches and a baby caterpillar emerges. A female monarch butterfly can lay up to 300 eggs in her lifetime.

Caterpillar

Fun fact: a caterpillar is also called a Larva. When the caterpillar hatches from its tiny egg, it is less than 1 cm big. These teeny tiny baby caterpillars will feed on the milkweed leaves and grow for 11-18 days, storing away enough food and energy to go into chrysalis.*

Chrysalis

Once the caterpillar is ready to go into chrysalis, it will start to “J”. It will find a leaf or stem and hang upside down creating a J shape with its body. Its body then starts forming the chrysalis barrier beginning on the head and then enclosing the rest of the body. Monarch chrysalis are distinguishable by their bright green color.

Ready to Emerge

The caterpillar stays in its chrysalis for about 8-14 days as it transforms into a butterfly.* Near the end of this stage, the chrysalis will turn from its bright green color to black and start to become see-through. This is a sign that the butterfly is just about ready to emerge!

New Butterfly

Once the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis its body pulsates, pumping fluid throughout its body so that its wings can unfold. Its wings are wet at first, so they will take some time to dry before the butterfly is ready to take off for its first flight! Because its wings are still drying once they first emerge, it is important not to touch the butterfly during this time.

*Check out our source for monarch butterfly information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/biology/index.shtml

The Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle

Monarch Caterpillar egg on milkweed leaf

Egg

Milkweed is the only host plant for monarch butterflies, meaning, it is the only plant the females are able to lay their eggs on. The eggs are laid on the undersides of the leaves and appear as tiny white dots. Once the egg is laid, it takes roughly 4 days before the egg hatches and a baby caterpillar emerges. A female monarch butterfly can lay up to 300 eggs in her lifetime.

Caterpillar

Fun fact: a caterpillar is also called a Larva. When the caterpillar hatches from its tiny egg, it is less than 1 cm big. These teeny tiny baby caterpillars will feed on the milkweed leaves and grow for 11-18 days, storing away enough food and energy to go into chrysalis.*

Chrysalis

Once the caterpillar is ready to go into chrysalis, it will start to “J”. It will find a space where it can hang upside down creating a J shape with its body. Its body then starts forming the chrysalis barrier beginning on the head and then enclosing the rest of the body. Monarch chrysalis are distinguishable by their bright green color.

Ready to Emerge

The caterpillar stays in its chrysalis for about 8-14 days as it transforms into a butterfly.* Near the end of this stage, the green chrysalis starts to turn transparent. This is a sign that the butterfly is just about ready to emerge!

New Butterfly

Once the butterfly emerges from its chrysalis its body pulsates, pumping fluid throughout its body so that its wings can unfold. Its wings are wet at first, so they will take some time to dry before the butterfly is ready to take off for its first flight! Because its wings are still drying once they first emerge, it is important not to touch the butterfly during this time.

*Check out our source for monarch butterfly information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/biology/index.shtml

Plan Your Visit

Our Butterfly House is attached to our retail garden center located in Zeeland, Michigan. It is open to the public and free to walk through during our retail store’s hours of operation. We are just north of downtown Zeeland, at the corner of 96th Ave and New Holland street.

Our season for the caterpillars and butterflies is generally around May - September. Watch our social media channels for current happenings.

Our address: 4902 96th Ave, Zeeland, MI 49464

We hope you stop by and visit our Garden Crossings Butterfly House!