MIFFLIN TOWNSHIP, COLUMBIA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An event happening this weekend in Columbia County is shedding light on the importance of butterfly education.
28/22 News got to hang out with some pollinators today and has more about how a local farm is lending a hand in our area’s ecosystem.
The beauty of a butterfly. It’s something David Folk can’t get enough of while running Folk’s Butterfly Farm.
“It’s not a job, I love it,” said Folk, co-owner of Folk's Butterfly Farm.
What started as his daughter’s Future Farmers of America project has now expanded into an educational experience in Mifflin Township, housing thousands of butterflies, caterpillars, and plants.
“She’s now an Ag teacher, and her husband and I farm butterflies,” said Folk.
It’s a serene place with a view, but it requires a lot of elbow grease.
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The grounds are filled with plants with a purpose, to help feed the local ecosystem, which starts with the pollinators.
“Most of the food that we eat, three out of every four bites that come off your plate have been pollinated by bees or butterflies,” explained Folk.
Starting with harvesting tiny eggs, they assist them through the life cycle of becoming caterpillars and butterflies, to then start all over again.
Open to the public, they’re hosting a Butterfly Education Awareness Day this weekend.
Getting up close and personal, at Saturday’s event, you can come into the Butterfly House and even feed a butterfly.
In addition to education, Folk’s farm also works to bring back native butterfly species to our area through plants, some of which were lost along rivers like the Delaware and Susquehanna.
“Their host plant is the pawpaw tree, and they grow in wet areas, so when there was a lot of construction down along the rivers, a lot of that habitat was lost. We’re trying to get them back, and in order to do that, we need to get those plants back,” explained Folk.
Folk’s Butterfly Education Awareness Day is taking place on Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
