200 monarch butterflies released during annual Greensburg Garden Center event

Kylynn Kelsey, who is 6, said she started liking butterflies Saturday following the annual monarch butterfly release at the LeFevre Butterfly Garden behind the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center.

Her favorite part was getting them to land on her wand made of flowers, made available at the event hosted by Greensburg Garden Center. She said watching the butterflies be released was fun.

The monarch butterflies have been released ????????????

Check out the footage @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/CgoMpddBWw

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) August 10, 2024

Carla Rusnica and Diane Dale, co-presidents of the Greensburg Garden Center, said about 600 people attended two butterfly releases Saturday in the garden.

“We didn’t even advertise this year because we’re so well-known,” Rusnica said.

In January and February, the garden center ordered 200 monarch butterflies, which people can reserve ahead of the release, she said.

“People call in right away,” Rusnica said. “The butterflies come in little envelopes — their wings are all folded up.”

The flower wands, which Dale said she helped make ahead of the event, attract the butterflies when they wake up, as there’s nectar in the flowers for when they’re hungry.

Kylynn of Greensburg has never held so many butterflies before, said her mom, Katie Kelsey, even though she’s been to two butterfly releases before this one.

Katie Kelsey said the family gravitates toward anything nature-oriented or other outdoor activities, as they’re self-proclaimed “big nature people.”

“She’s still captivated by it,” she said of her daughter’s fascination with the monarchs. “We’re having a hard time leaving.”

The monarch release was a “really meaningful” event, Katie Kelsey said, and it definitely had a positive impact on the environment.

“That’s great for Greensburg,” she said. “I think this will definitely make us come to this particular venue more, too, just in general.”

Dale said the monarch release is meant to encourage more people to visit the butterfly garden, open from dawn to dusk.

“We want people to come and enjoy our garden any time,” she said.

The weather remained beautiful Saturday, which Dale said was fortunate.

“I think it’s a great community and family event,” Rusnica said, “but it has that element of education and makes people aware.”

Elizabeth Pesci, an emeritus master gardener at Penn State Extension, spoke at the monarch release about the life cycle of a butterfly and how endangered they are. She was part of the group of volunteers who designed and built the garden, which opened in 2015.

In the last 40 or so years, Pesci said the world has lost 95% of its monarch butterflies, which can be pretty noticeable.

“When you lose something that’s really beautiful, you notice it,” she said.

For those who want to improve the amount of nectar the monarchs have and see them more often, she suggested planting anything that flowers, especially perennials and annuals. Anything from the daisy family is a good choice as well, Pesci said.

Monarchs need milkweed to stay for a while, though, she said.

“If many plant some more nectar plants and some do monarch waystations, we’re improving their possibilities,” Pesci said.

Monarch waystations are essentially butterfly gardens that support monarchs, she said.

“Butterflies are perfect for little kids,” Pesci said.

Since kids are anxious to learn and curious about bugs, she said the monarch release was an easy way to teach them about the butterflies.

“I like to see the kids’ faces,” Pesci said. “They really enjoy it.”

Zoella Kuhns, 10, of Derry got her face painted with a butterfly at the monarch release.

Her mom, Jillian Kuhns, said the event was “beautiful.” She brought three of her five kids, surprising them with a girls’ day.

“It was very neat,” she said. “This is our first time … we love butterflies.”

Jillian Kuhns, 45, of Derry said she will put it on the calendar to come back next year.

“It’s nice knowing that they’re learning about butterflies and knowing their history,” she said. “They get to see the beauty of them.”