A Butterfly Garden is Being Added to Kelby Creek

by Springfield NewsLeader
06/11/11



        In a dream world, you would sit on the back patio of a 4,000-square-foot, Country French style home, sipping lemonade and watching butterflies dance from lilac bush to lilac bush. Your home would be tucked between rolling hills and mature oak trees, with the murmuring of flowing water close by.

            It is no surprise, then, that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital chose Kelby Creek subdivision to house their 7th annual Dream Home last October. The master-planned development in Nixa holds the crown for enhancing the natural beauty of the Ozarks in a private community that is both charming and down to earth.

            A new addition to the community is in the works, in hopes to encourage outdoor living and natural recreation.

            “We are currently designing a butterfly garden that happens to fall just outside the backyard of the dream home,” said Shelley Forell, Community Operations Manager at Kelby Creek. “It is important to us to maintain the natural beauty of the area, including conserving an abundance of green space. We have biking paths and mulched hiking trails that wind through the green areas. One of the trails will pass through the butterfly garden when it’s complete.”

            Marc Cawood, the owner of Nature’s Image Landscaping, has already mapped out the blueprints for the butterfly garden.

            “The garden will stretch along the walking trail of a park-like area of the community,” Cawood said. “There will be pockets of butterfly-attracting and food source plants, large rocks and park benches tucked along rotating sides of the hiking trail.”

            With over 100 acres of common area, green space and lakes, the private community creates pockets of reserved nature for playing, strolling or just relaxing.

            “A butterfly garden is an easy way to bring natural charm to a home or backyard,” Forell said. “Kelby Creek’s garden won’t be the largest in the area, but it will be a quaint retreat for the residents to enjoy once it’s complete.

 

How to Build Your Own Butterfly Garden

           

            A butterfly garden like the one in Kelby Creek can be planted outside any home, as long as you have the right elements.

            “Butterflies are delicate creatures,” said Scott Cunningham, the Volunteer Coordinator at Friends of the Garden, Inc. “The conditions have to be just right in order to attract them. But once you do, the charm they add to your garden is well worth the work.”

            Both landscapers and homeowners can attract butterflies that live in Missouri by creating a welcoming landscape for them to live in. The National Gardening Association explains that four main elements are needed for a successful butterfly garden.      

            First butterfly-attracting flowers lure the fragile insects in by the scent of the nectar and the color of the plant. Trees or shrubs are necessary to provide a haven during hot sunny days, or roosting at night. Butterflies are drawn to large, flat rocks so they can bask in the sun on cool mornings. Lastly, as all creatures need access to water, be sure to include a water source nearby.

            If inspiration is needed, steal a glance at the development of Kelby Creek’s butterfly garden tucked immediately behind the St. Jude dream home in Nixa, Mo.