Hilaire Ashworth

Hilaire Ashworth is an Assistant Butterfly Curator in the Butterflies LIVE! exhibit. Here are a few more facts about her: Q: If you were a butterfly, which one would you be? A: Bat Wing (Atrophaneura semperi)! I love the vibrant red against the black and white wings. Q: What do you do in your spare time? A: I spend most of my spare time with my adopted street cat and organic gardening. However, I love rock climbing, hiking, and spending as much time outdoors as I possibly can.

Oct 30th, 2015

DIY Monarch Butterfly Halloween Costume

Halloween is right around the corner and maybe you’re scrambling for an awesome, yet easy last-minute costume. Well put your Halloween worries aside, because this monarch butterfly costume is just […]

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Oct 12th, 2015

Butterfly Roundup

Now that Butterflies LIVE! is over, for this year anyway,  butterfly curators are working hard to roundup all the butterflies in the exhibit. Many visitors ask us how we accomplish […]

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Oct 5th, 2015

10 Favorite Butterfly Facts

We are lepidopterists (butterfly enthusiasts) at Butterflies LIVE! and we want to share some of our favorite facts about butterflies with you! Here are our top 10 favorite facts: Butterflies help […]

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Sep 30th, 2015

Butterflies: Warming Up

It can get pretty toasty in the Butterflies Live! exhibit, especially on those hot summer days. While we (humans) might think it’s too hot, the butterflies love it and actually […]

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Sep 14th, 2015

Meet our Clearwing Butterfly

The Costa Rican clearwing (Greta oto) is one our favorite butterflies because its wings are clear! Their wings lack scales, so the clear chitinous membrane between the visible veins appears […]

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Sep 6th, 2015

Butterflies On Bikes!

Butterflies and bikes are two great reasons to visit the garden during September. But what about butterflies ON bikes? That’s right! We have set up tiny bikes in the Butterflies […]

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Aug 28th, 2015

On Becoming A Butterfly

Butterflies go through several stages of metamorphosis before becoming the adult butterfly that we all know and love. Since we currently have a special nursery for monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies […]

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Jul 27th, 2015

Butterfly Scales = Pixie Dust

When butterflies pass away in the Butterflies LIVE! exhibit, it can be a sad and difficult situation to explain to guests. So I try to use that opportunity to explain […]

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Jul 18th, 2015

Let’s Celebrate Moths

This year’s National Moth Week is July 18 – 26 , 2015, and we would like you to join in the celebration! To help, we’re sharing some key characteristics to […]

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Jun 6th, 2015

Butterflies: Masters of Disguise

Butterflies have mastered of the art of disguise. With so many natural predators, including birds, spiders, reptiles, insects (wasps, flies, mites), and small mammals, they have disguise themselves in order […]

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Jun 3rd, 2015

Proboscis: Zipping it Together

I find myself fascinated by butterfly anatomy more and more each day as I work with and learn about these remarkable creatures. Even though I have only been with Butterflies LIVE! […]

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Apr 25th, 2015

Meet the Butterflies LIVE! Staff

by Hilaire Ashworth, Assistant Butterfly Curator, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden We are so excited that the time has finally come for the opening of Butterflies LIVE! On behalf of all of […]

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Mar 2nd, 2015

Volunteers Get HandsOn in the Community Kitchen Garden

by Hilaire Ashworth, PR & Marketing Intern, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden  Today volunteers from HandsOn Greater Richmond  helped Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden staff prepare for the spring growing season in the Community Kitchen Garden. Since […]

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