Butterflies at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
Come out to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park to see a wide range of butterflies in all stages of life from caterpillar to full-grown! Sugarloaf is home to many different species of butterfly, including the Mylitta Crescent, the Common Buckeye, the Blue Acmon, and others. Butterflies are great for kids of all ages! You may see different butterflies at Sugarloaf than you do at home. Butterflies have a very special relationship with their host plants. These are the plants on which they lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, tiny caterpillars emerge, eat the plant, and grow. The caterpillars can only grow by eating their host plant.
Be sure to bring your camera, because butterflies make great photography subjects! If you are lucky enough to get close to a butterfly, please look closely but do not touch. By touching a butterfly you could remove the scales from their wings. Scientists believe scales protect butterflies by helping them break free of spider webs by leaving only some scales behind. Scales also give the butterfly most of its color.
When you see a caterpillar on a plant, please do not touch it or remove it. A very still caterpillar may be in the delicate instar phase where it is getting ready to shed its skin or is just in its tender, new skin. Caterpillars that are obviously eating or resting should not be disturbed as they can fall from their host plant.
Print out a copy of our new butterfly brochure or pick up at copy at the visitors center.