Ex-caterpillars set to spring

Marisa O’Neil

Come spring, hundreds of native butterflies will fly front and

center.

But for now, a new butterfly house at the Environmental Nature

Center hosts only a few moths and plants preparing to host the

butterflies. At a dedication Wednesday for the house, partially

funded by the rotary clubs of Newport-Balboa and its sister city of

Okazaki, Japan, center executive director Bo Glover noted the

conspicuous absence of the guests of honor.

“I invite you to come in and tour the butterfly house,” Glover

told a small crowd gathered at the center. “But you’ll see one

important thing missing -- butterflies.”

Once the plants get a good foothold in the 1,300-square-foot,

screened-in house, the center will bring in butterflies still in

chrysalis form, grounds coordinator Reggie Durant said. The house

will have a nursery to hold the chrysalises until the butterflies

emerge.

It will have 12 species of 300 to 400 native butterflies once the

house is up to speed, possibly by March, Durant said. Butterflies

have a lifespan of one to three years, he said.

The two rotary clubs donated about $5,000 each for the $25,000

project, Glover said. Corporate donations made up the rest.

The project came as a joint community-service venture to celebrate

Rotary International’s centennial in 2005, member Roger McGonegal

said. The local rotary club joined forces with the club in Okazaki,

which had members visiting this week as part of a delegation from the

sister city.

“This was a great idea,” visitor Masao Kato said as he walked

through the house. “We were glad we had this opportunity to

participate in the project. But we never thought it would be this

big.”

Newport Beach resident Karen Evarts gave the house her blessing.

“If I were a butterfly, I’d live in here,” she said as she checked

out the plants in the orangy glow of the late afternoon. “Look, you

even get the sunset.”