Butterflies and Blooms

Photo: From left, Reba Wright, Mississippi State University Extension Service and Elaine White, Program Leader (Submitted photo)

Apr 14, 2025- With the tremendous amount of rainfall we’ve experienced along with the warming temperatures, our blooming flowers will soon be attracting pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. 

The DeSoto Civic Garden Club (DCGC) held its April meeting at the MR Davis Library in Southaven. Our hostesses were Sandra Stafford, Connie Williams and Jane Borgognoni and Sandy Noble created a beautiful floral design in memory of DCGC member, Dot Sexton. Guest speaker, Reba Wright with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, presented a program, “Butterflies and the Chrysalis Stage of Development.” 

Wright, a Master Gardener and butterfly enthusiast, explained the stages of development: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly. While the Monarch is well known, there are many other species here in the mid-south choosing different plants and trees as hosts to lay their eggs. The next stage is the caterpillar followed by the chrysalis before the butterfly emerges. These butterflies along with bees and hummingbirds are our pollinators. Feasting on the nectars, they will pollinate our flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables. This is a critical step in growing our flowers and most importantly, our food supply. 

What can we do to help? Get familiar with identifying the various eggs and caterpillars and their host plants. Most importantly, do NOT use poison for weed control. It kills off not only our butterflies but also our bees. According to a report by CBS News, “the beekeeping industry is in a crisis over the shocking and unexplained deaths of hundreds of millions of bees over the last eight months.” Let’s all do our best to help our important pollinators. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, two beautiful Black Swallowtail butterflies were released. 

The DeSoto Civic Garden Club is a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. and The Garden Clubs of Mississippi Inc., Hills and Delta District.