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Kate Gorrie Butterfly House

The Kate Gorrie Butterfly House opened in 2000 to honor the memory of Kate Gorrie, daughter of Meg and Tom Gorrie of Pennington, NJ. The Gorries are long-time board members and benefactors of the Watershed Association, and chose to honor Kate’s life and her love for the beauty of nature by helping build a butterfly house. The open-air structure is open from dawn to dusk every day from late April through early October.

The Butterfly House showcases native butterflies and the native plants that support them. The gardens inside simulate typical habitats of central New Jersey – field, wetland, wet meadow, field and forest. The wildflowers and shrubs inside provide nectar and shelter for butterflies and food for caterpillars.

Common butterflies to see in the Butterfly House include the Monarch, Black Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Pearl Crescent and the Common Wood Nymph. Each year the Watershed Association hosts a summer Butterfly Festival for the public. Families, adults and children are invited to join naturalists for a tour of the Butterfly House, nature hikes and insect safaris, as well as great food, music and fun for the whole family.

We also work with Monarch Watch, a national organization for Monarch research and education. We raise Monarchs in our Nature Center and Butterfly House, then tag and release the fall generation to help gather migration data.