Our Butterflies
Butterflies, with their ethereal beauty and delicate dance among blossoms, are not only vital pollinators but also profound symbols of transformation, hope, and the fleeting elegance of life. At Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum, we cherish these winged wonders and the significant role they play in our living landscape.
Butterflies as Pollinators & Life Cycle
With their intricate patterns and graceful flight, butterflies are not only a joy to behold but also crucial pollinators in our ecosystem. As they flit from blossom to blossom, they play an essential role in helping plants reproduce, contributing to the rich biodiversity you see across our 314 acres. The magic of butterflies begins long before their adult flight. From tiny eggs, remarkable caterpillars emerge, voraciously feeding on specific host plants to fuel their growth. This stage of their life is just as vital as the adult, and our diverse plantings support these fascinating transformations. Eventually, each caterpillar will form a chrysalis, undergoing metamorphosis to emerge as the beautiful winged insect we admire. Our carefully managed landscapes ensure a continuous bloom cycle, supporting these creatures throughout their entire life cycle.
Monarch Initiatives
Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum has our own Monarch initiatives. St. Louis is located along the monarch’s migratory route between Mexico and North America, and with their population rapidly dwindling, we are committed to supporting efforts to increase it. We provide important food sources, such as various species of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), for adult monarchs to nectar on and for monarch caterpillars to feed upon. Our efforts to increase biodiversity are in the interest of protecting and enhancing our urban oasis. Our goal is to enhance the beauty and diversity of life on the grounds for the benefit and enjoyment of many generations to come. We hope you'll enjoy this video from several years ago, capturing a special moment when numerous Monarch butterflies gathered here at the Cemetery for "roosting" during their migration—a truly lovely sight!
Interesting Species & Behaviors
Every year, the Cemetery hosts a number of fascinating butterfly species, including the Silver-spotted Skipper. This medium-sized butterfly is often seen near shrubby areas and along woodland edges. The Silver-spotted Skipper utilizes plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) as a host plant, providing a site for the female to deposit eggs and for the subsequent caterpillar to feed upon. A small grove of 'Purple Robe' black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Purple Robe') here at Bellefontaine serves as an excellent host plant for this and other butterfly species.
Interestingly, the Silver-spotted Skipper is an overwintering butterfly, with larvae wrapping themselves in 'nests' of leaves. To avoid predators like wasps, Silver-spotted Skippers have developed the remarkable ability to eject their frass (waste product) up to 40 times the length of their bodies (about 5 feet), leading predators away from their hibernating larvae. Keep an eye out for these fast-flying butterflies on your next visit!
Moths & Other Nocturnal Pollinators
While butterflies charm us by day, their nocturnal cousins, moths, are equally vital to our ecosystem and often overlooked. Bellefontaine's diverse habitats support a variety of moth species, many of which are important pollinators.
Our volunteer, captured this Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris deffinis), sometimes called a "Flying Lobster." This moth beats its wings at an incredibly fast rate, much like a hummingbird, and feeds during the day, as opposed to many nocturnal moths. The Snowberry Clearwing is actually a bumblebee mimic, apparent in the banding and coloration of its body, and was spotted in our butterfly garden!
Other moth species, like the Spotted Straw moth and Olive Arches moth, utilize plants such as the New England aster as larval hosts, showcasing the intricate web of life. Blue vervain also serves as a host plant for the Verbena Moth and Verbena Bud Moth. We are proud to support these essential nighttime workers.
Partnerships
Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum actively collaborates with partners to further our understanding and conservation of pollinators. Our biodiversity inventories, including ongoing butterfly and insect studies with the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center at UMSL, help guide decisions on plant selection and maintenance to create optimal habitats for these vital creatures.
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