2009 05 23 - Butterfly Garden @ Hort Park

SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) has opened a Butterfly Garden at HortPark. The 150-square-metre theme garden will enable NParks to research the winged insects as part of the butterfly species recovery programme in Singapore and develop new butterfly trails in public parks.

It will serve as a butterfly breeding area and an experimental garden for suitable nectar plants and host plants to breed various species, including locally extinct ones such as clipper (Parthenos sylvia), common sergeant (Athyma perius) and yellow glassy tiger (Parantica aspasia).

Where appropriate, NParks will release locally extinct species back into the environment.

Besides the Butterfly Garden, HortPark - which turned one this month - will also see several new garden display plots.

One highlight is the 128-square-metre Permaculture Trail - a science exploration and learning trail with stations such as "The Climbers and Creepers", "The Colourful Foliage Bed", "The Succulent Garden", "The Wormery", as well as a sustainable food garden. HortPark hopes that such gardens would help inspire visitors to design and plant their own gardens. As part of its first anniversary celebrations, NParks will hold free workshops and activities for gardening enthusiasts and families on Saturday, May 23.