A monarch butterfly rests on the finger of Shepherdstown Public Library Director Christy Hagerty, as it waits to be placed on a native plant in the library garden on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — After it was finished being built in 2022, the Shepherdstown Public Library’s (SPL) new grounds underwent a thorough landscaping using native plants, under the guidance of its Garden Stewards. Those native plants created a hospitable environment for wild animals and insects, including butterflies.

Shepherdstown resident Jessie Ward was hired as the children’s library assistant during the summer of 2022, and immediately recognized a potential teaching opportunity, related to the butterflies in the native plant garden. Soon after, a butterfly habitat, with a couple of monarch caterpillars in it, was introduced to the children’s department counter.

“My first summer there, we started doing it, and we’ve done it every summer since,” Ward said, noting a second butterfly habitat has since joined the first. “We have them on display and kids, when they come into the library, get to see them. I try to have informational signs about the different caterpillars and what they turn into and the host plants that they need.”

An increasing number of caterpillars have been brought to the library by its librarians and patrons every year, with around 15 being raised and released there this summer.

“We ended up with about 10 monarchs this year, that we have released. We had one red-spotted purple, and one spicebush swallowtail, that we released,” Ward said. “We have an eastern swallowtail that has pupated, and we then have two more caterpillars that are still eating.”

Shepherdstown Public Library Director Christy Hagerty reaches into a butterfly habitat, to remove a newly formed monarch butterfly and place it in the library garden on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

She noted that this variety in butterfly species was a change from previous years, when only monarch butterflies were being raised at the library.

“Before, we’ve only done monarchs, but this year we expanded on that. I’ve really enjoyed having the variety this year, in having four different types of caterpillars,” Ward said, mentioning most of the caterpillars were sourced from the garden of Shepherdstown resident Ava Reinstein. “They all develop differently and in such fascinating ways — it’s a beautiful thing, to be able to share with the children here.”

The children are able to view all aspects of the butterfly development, even getting to see them being released into the wild, as happened after a story time last week.

“It’s fun to see them come out of their chrysalis and their wings open up,” said SPL Youth Services Director Rachel Heller. “The kids love them.”

Ward emphasized that the purpose of this initiative was to build awareness of butterflies and the important part they play in the ecosystem.

A monarch butterfly relaxes on a native plant, in the Shepherdstown Public Library garden on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

“There’s a magic to butterflies. They go from these weird looking caterpillars — some of them are really weird looking — and the fact that they then change and pupate and form a chrysalis and turn into a beautiful butterfly, really captures the children’s attention and imagination and sense of wonder,” Ward said. “I think it’s a good way, to capitalize on that wonder and help them become aware of nature and of the connection that we have to that nature and of the responsibility we have, to take care of it and to preserve it.”