As The Farm at Poway development unfolds with 160 new homes, features such as a walking trail, native garden and flower fields are beginning to take shape.
Construction on Butterfly Farms is expected to begin in early 2024, with a new location opening on the farm near Espola Road. Butterfly Farms, a nonprofit dedicated to butterfly education, conservation and research, first opened in Encinitas in 2012, director Pat Flanagan said.
Flanagan co-founded Butterfly Farms with partner Tom Merriman, who died in 2020. The facility, which was expanded to include a 3,000-square-foot butterfly viewing area, a 3,000-square-foot nursery and a 3,000-square-foot education center, was an offshoot of the Luca Micaela partners nursery, named in honor of Flanagan's two children. , son Luca, 21; and his daughter Michaela, 18 years old.
"We just decided we wanted to feature butterflies as a differentiator from other nurseries in the area," Flanagan said. “While we were researching what that would be like, we discovered that there were people in town dedicated to butterfly protection: the Monarch Program. "We concluded that there is a great need for butterfly education and more research."
As the butterfly farms grew, Flanagan said, they began providing information about the species of butterflies that live in the area, how to maintain the farms to attract butterflies and the plight of monarch butterflies, which were considered endangered and they were fighting for. survivors. survive for many decades. . She said.
As for expansion, Flanagan said Butterfly Farms plans to open a new farm location that will be four times the size of the recently closed Encinitas location.
Flanagan said she met Kevin McNamara, the farm's managing partner, about five years ago at the San Diego County Fair when he was setting up a butterfly demonstration garden. McNamara described The Farm project and asked if Flanagan would be interested in locating there.
"As the development and process progressed, we knew we needed more infrastructure," Flanagan said. "When Tom died, I thought it was impossible to have two places and I wanted to focus on one. "It required a lot of decision-making, but it made sense for the program, also because we wanted to expand the educational aspect."
Flanagan said school teachers, especially kindergarten through second grade, have booked field trips to Encinitas Butterfly Farms for their classes. The new butterfly farm will continue to hold educational seminars when the larger version in the farm's development opens, he said.
Other butterfly garden facilities include a butterfly flight house, an education area, a gift shop and a business office.
The viewing area offers visitors the opportunity to closely observe the butterflies and observe how they interact with each other.
"It's very interesting that their colors come in different stages, from pupa to adult butterfly," said Flanagan.
Chriselda Yee, a Poway resident for nearly 30 years, said she has visited Encinitas butterfly farms many times.
"I know they will do a great job sharing information about butterflies and providing a beautiful environment for people to enjoy butterflies," Yi said of the proposed farm location. "It's really good for the kids to experience that."
A Poway Valley Garden Club member planted his own butterfly garden and installed a butterfly house. She and her husband, Michael Yee, plant nectar flowers, which attract butterflies, and milkweed, in which monarch butterflies lay their eggs. Their 10-by-10-meter butterfly house is designed to raise butterflies and protect them from natural predators, Criselda Yee said.
Since establishing their butterfly sanctuary, the Yees have released more than 1,000 monarch butterflies and 23 butterflies.
Community residents will be able to visit the butterfly garden and butterfly house at the California Native Plant Society Garden in April 2024. Yee said they started it because they love nature and gardening and wanted to help reduce the population of monarchs.
"Butterflies are a beautiful part of nature and it's beautiful to watch them fly around," Yee said. "People feel better when they see them.
He said the butterfly farms are "a great asset to Poway."
"It is important to have a holistic approach to nature and to be aware of our impact on the natural world around us," he said.
Flanagan said he plans to open the new butterfly farms in late 2024, but a construction plan is still pending. The project is still under development, he said. The style of the one-story building will blend with the city's existing architecture, he said.
He said he is still working on fees for the educational and viewing tours, but at the former butterfly farm in Encinitas the regular price of admission is $6 per person. He hopes the butterfly farm will be open seven days a week during butterfly season, from April to November.
Flanagan describes The Farm's location as "perfect". Visitors come from all over the region, from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Imperial Valley and Los Angeles, and are often looking for ideas for other activities in the area, such as hiking and dining, he said.
"What Poway has to offer is the Blue Sky ecological preserve, Lake Poway and several miles of trails that are under development," he said. "We think our guests will have something to do in Poway."
