Butterfly Park, Urban park in South Portland, United States.
Butterfly Park is a one-acre green space with deciduous forest, native grasses, wildflowers, and dogwood trees along the Willamette River shoreline. The site features a natural planting design with vegetation selected to attract butterflies and other wildlife.
The South Portland Riverbank Project acquired the land in 1984 and transformed it from a gravel parking lot into a nature park completed by 1996. This transformation demonstrates a successful effort to restore urban green space along the river.
The park serves as a learning space where visitors observe butterfly species like mourning cloaks and orange sulphurs in their natural surroundings. The wildflowers and native plants draw these insects, making it a place where people notice the local natural world firsthand.
The park is open daily from 5:00 AM to midnight, offering long hours for visits at any time of day. Dogs must remain on leash, and the accessible shoreline allows visitors to walk and explore the riverside setting.
Volunteers started the restoration by planting wildflower seeds harvested directly from the Columbia Gorge. This approach created a habitat based on local plant species rather than artificial designs.
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