Butterflies are focus in Findlay
FINDLAY — Kailee DuVall has been spending part of her time this summer looking for all of the butterflies that make their way to Eagle Creek State Park near Findlay.
DuVall hopes to catch the butterflies for park visitors to see and learn from throughout the summer and especially during a Butterfly Frenzy event scheduled for Saturday, July 28.
“You don’t often see a program like this,” said DuVall, a recreation management intern for the park. “It’s an added draw.”
The butterflies that DuVall and others collect live in an over 20-year-old enclosed barn structure near the park office. DuVall will have her work cut out for her collecting enough to show off during the event, as butterflies typically live between two and 14 days.
Finding more of the monarch butterflies is something she still hopes can be accomplished.
“We’ve seen a big decline in the species out there,” DuVall said.
Monarchs will normally migrate from Mexico north, so DuVall isn’t sure if it’s a case of them being on their way or whether they will show up at all.
“It’s simply amazing they fly over 2,000 miles to migrate,” DuVall said.
Other species that have been collected this year include buckeyes, sulfurs and swallowtails.
The July 28 event is designed to educate adults and children about what takes place in nature around them. It will feature guest speakers, blue grass music, sidewalk drawing, butterfly catching and other activities, DuVall said.
Visitors will learn about the lifecycles, feeding habits, migration and natural predators of butterflies, DuVall said. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with guest speakers from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring presentations and a story about “The Butterfly That Would Not Fly,” a book by Cindy and Kirby Pringle of Tuscola.
Having the butterfly barn is another attraction for visitors, which is among the offerings at the park. While the closure of Eagle Creek Resort has been noticeable and its future remains uncertain, visitors continue to come for camping, bike riding, hiking, golfing, picnicking and other ways of connecting with nature near the shores of Lake Shelbyville, park Superintendent Richard Glazebrook said.
It is the only state park in Illinois that has a golf course on site, Glazebrook said. The National Golf Course at Eagle Creek is being operated by BMDD Resorts Corp.
Even with its proximity to the lake, Glazebrook is hoping for some relief from extremely hot days and is looking forward to events planned in the coming months, including hosting part of the Bassmaster Elite Series Toyota Trucks All-Star Week in September.
“Everything was going really well until the heat hit,” Glazebrook said. “It’s not fun to sit around a camp fire when it’s 100 degrees. Camping is still the No. 1 reason people come out here. It’s a great way to relax and sit around talking with your neighbors.”
The butterflies have benefited from the heat, using the opportunity to float higher into trees rather than flying, DuVall said.
The Butterfly Frenzy will be the same weekend as the Findlay Walleye Festival. The festival features activities such as live music, a car/truck/motorcycle show, a kiddie tractor pull, 3-on-3 basketball tournaments and walleye sandwiches.