Butterflies & Blooms Class at DBG

Ray Sander, President of the Delaware Botanic Gardens (DBG), announced the 37-acre gardens are in full peak summer bloom, and starting on Thursday, July 25 and running Thursday August 8th and August 15th at 9:30 a.m. is the Butterflies & Blooms Class. Sander said, “This Butterflies & Blooms class is a family-friendly class that is both fun and educational. All are welcome.”  

Stephen Pryce Lea, Deputy Executive Director said, “The summer breeze carries the hungry pollinators inland to the abundance of our DBG blooms. DBG is fortunate to have a well-established Piet Oudolf 2-acre meadow, with native plants that attract essential pollinators. We have seen an upturn in the numbers of bees and butterflies visiting the gardens and woodland trails. Now is the best time to visit.”  

This program offers guests a chance to explore the Piet Oudolf Meadow in a new way, searching for and identifying the many butterfly species that take advantage of the nectar offered by the blooming perennials.  Monarchs, Spicebush Swallowtails, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, American Ladies, Painted Ladies, Variegated Fritillaries and Silver Spotted Skippers are some of the most frequent visitors to the Meadow.  Volunteer docents help guests identify the butterflies and their “favorite” nectar plants in the Meadow.  The necessary host plants, where hungry caterpillars eat their way to the next stage, are also discussed so that gardeners can be sure they are supporting the entire lifecycle of the butterflies they love.   

Preregistration is required as there is a limited class size. This is a family-friendly program welcoming butterfly lovers of all ages.   Members free admission and free class. Non-members admission $15 and free class. 

Children 16 and under, when accompanied by an adult, have free admission and free butterfly tour. Reserve tickets at delawaregardens.org.  

Sheryl Swed, DBG Executive Director said, “In addition, on Friday July 26 and Friday August 30th is a special Summer Meadow Garden Tour at 11:30 a.m.  The guided tour by Stephen Pryce Lea, DBG Deputy Executive Director, is a leisurely stroll through the 2-acre Piet Oudolf Meadow. Learn about the benefits of growing native plants and the pollinators they attract.”

Members Free admission and free tour and Non-members admission $15 admission and free tour. Children 16 and under, when accompanied by an adult, have free admission and tour. Reserve tickets at delawaregardens.org.  

The DBG is open to the public Thursdays through Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided Tours are available at 10 a.m.  

The Delaware Botanic Gardens is located at 30220 Piney Neck Road, Dagsboro, DE 19939. Go to www.delawaregardens.org.  

Delaware Botanic Garden Installing an Eagle cam and Eagle Watch Garden.

Eagle in nest by Nancy Hedgepeth

Young Eagles in nest by Michael Aamodt

Piet Oudolf Meadow with woodlands and Pepper Creek in background by Ray Bojarski

Delaware Botanic Gardens’ (DBG) Eagles Nest is housed in a beautiful loblolly tree overlooking Pepper Creek and has been active for several years.  In the spring, two eaglets were tended to by both the female and male eagles and were soon fledglings flying high above the Garden.  Our visitors were thrilled to watch them from afar.  Next year we will have installed an Eagle Cam so that we can see what is happening in the nest. Our work is with HDOnTap, the same company that installed the Eagle Cam at Big Bear Valley in California. 

DBG Executive Director Sheryl Swed said, “The idea of an eagle cam has been very popular with our staff, volunteers and visitors and when we decided to raise funds for the camera, we had an amazingly positive response— we have raised over $80,000 for the cost of design, equipment, including two cameras, installation, live streaming and maintenance.” 

DBG President Raymond Sander is pleased to announce the major sponsors of the Eagle Cam project: The Drs. Rouben & Violet Jiji Foundation together with Phoebe Craven, and Mike & Sue Masciandaro.  In addition to these generous donors, many individual gifts were sent to DBG to support the project.

Richard Hoffman representing the JiJi Foundation said, “The Rouben & Violet Jiji Foundation is proud to partner with the Delaware Botanic Gardens and sponsor the Eagle Cam and the eagle watch viewing garden.”  Another generous donor, Mike Masciandaro said, “We hope that this additional visibility will inspire the younger generations to learn and participate in the wonders of nature.”  Sander said, “We are most grateful to our magnanimous donors who also inspire us.” 

Deputy Executive Director Stephen Pryce Lea, who will be leading this effort, noted, “Our contract calls for installation of two cameras and reinforcing and strengthening the nest and is scheduled for two days in late September when the eagles are gone.” 

If you would like to donate to the Eagle cam project go to www.delawaregardens.org/give-today

The DBG is open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours when open at 10 a.m. The gardens are located at 30220 Piney Neck Road, Dagsboro, DE 19939.

 The mission of the Delaware Botanic Gardens is to create a world-class, inspirational, educational, and sustainable public garden in southern Delaware for the benefit and enjoyment of all.