In Step with the Butterfly Ballet

   The lights dimmed. We turned our chairs towards the screen. Flying Flowers, the Butterfly Ballet, was about to begin.
   Sitting in the Garden House at the Bellmere Garden Club in Duluth, the Evergreen Garden Club of Greater Atlanta enjoyed a private viewing. The Evergreen Garden Club which started in Buckhead 55 years ago this month, frequently meets here in Gwinnett in the luxurious surroundings of Bellmere.
   Choreographer Z Ganaway lectured as the Painted Lady, the most widespread butterfly in the world, fluttered across stage. But the painted lady had only a cameo appearance here since she can be seen just about anywhere. Next, playing a supporting role was the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, the state butterfly of Georgia. 
   Z (short for Elzada) then displayed the host plants on which these common butterflies lay their eggs: willow, ash, Queen Anne's Lace and parsley. They are not picky eaters and will feed upon a myriad of flowers in the garden and in the wild.
   But not so for the Monarch, the prima ballerina of Z's dance ensemble. The Monarch is native to Mexico, but migrates north to Canada, than back home through the state of Georgia. Due to the clear-cutting of its habitat, the rain forests, the Monarch is nearing extinction. To make matters worse, the Monarch will only lay eggs and feed on milkweed. And I don't think Walter Reeves or Dora Fleming get many calls from people wanting advice on planting milkweed in their front yards.
   So here's where Z herself become the star of the show. She does a grand jete' by traveling around Metro Atlanta to schools and garden clubs educating people on how to keep monarchs among us. And she leads by example. Just this summer she raised and released over 300 monarchs, all fed on homegrown milkweed.
   Z said there are four stages of butterfly development-egg, caterpillar, pupa, butterfly- and five stages of caterpillars. And she knows each caterpillar just like a teacher knows each student.
   Z, a former second grade teacher, says she can even see them develop intellectually. The nearly adult stage-four caterpillars all rear up and look around when Z's dogs bark, but the more highly intelligent stage-threes will do the same. 
And as for the milkweed, they're all learning something there, too.
   "You can keep milkweed leaves in the freezer for up to three weeks," Z said. "They don't like it frozen, but they seem to figure out that's all they're going to get, so they eat it." 
   And I guess the really smart ones realize that frozen is better than canned, so they'd better not press their luck.
   Z concluded by offering us packets of milkweed seeds. I took several since I'm good at growing weeds. And the thought of growing "flying flowers" really intrigues me.
   If you'd like to host a butterfly ballet in your garden, you can e-mail Z at adazle@yahoo.com . 

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