Brooklyn Bridge Park's Butterfly Population Boom
May 11, 2012
A Mourning Cloak butterfly enjoys the sweet nectar of a Milkweed on Pier 1. Rebecca McMackin
Did you know that when you stick your head in a shrub filled with 50 butterflies, you can actually hear their wings fluttering all around you? It’s true! And right now at Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge park is the perfect place to experience it.
Brooklyn is experiencing a butterfly population boom! The largest in decades, thousands of butterflies in the genus Vanessa can be found on every flower in the park. Red Admirals have made international news, but America Ladies are also abundant.
The butterflies are all easily found on the blooming NineBark Shrub. The white puffy flowers provide nectar for their many visitors. Because the NineBark is a native plant, it evolved for thousands of years along with these insects, providing a more nutritious meal than the many exotic and even invasive shrubs often used to lure butterflies.
Head to Pier 1 to see this awe-inspiring sight you won't want to miss
