Airlie Foundation honored Virginia and Roger Tory Peterson's pioneering efforts on behalf of environmental education with the creation and dedication of The Peterson Butterfly Garden at Airlie's 1995 Earth Day Celebration. It is a fitting tribute, because both of the Petersons have written and lectured on the joys of butterfly gardens, and have been in large measure responsible for the growing interest in creating butterfly gardens in the United States.
The decline of butterflies, due to pesticide use and habitat loss, is a cause for concern among conservationists and scientists. The Peterson Butterfly Garden provides a pesticide-free, carefully structured habitat of native woodland, meadow and wetland species of nectar and host plants that encourage a myriad of caterpillars, butterflies and moths. Airlie Conferees are encouraged to learn more about native flora and the diverse butterflies and moths they attract, through informational brochures and occasional workshops and events in the garden.
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