Georgia Magazine - August 2022 - 28

GEORGIA Gardens
By Lynn Coulter * Photos courtesy of Dahlonega Butterfl y Farm
W
Flowers bloom, butterflies soar at
Dahlonega Butterfly Farm
hen the flowers, vines and trees are in
bloom at Dahlonega Butterfly Farm,
painted ladies, monarchs and other
native butterflies soar above the gardens. Inside a
760-square-foot conservatory, imported butterfly
species flutter in a jungle-like tangle of plants.
" I've always loved insects and the outdoor
world, " says JoAnn Goldenburg, who owns
and operates the farm. Gardening was her
" getaway, " she says, during her 25-year
career as a video editor for WSB-TV,
WGCL-TV and other television stations.
Eventually, Goldenburg felt the time
was right for a permanent getaway. She
spent months developing a business plan
for a small, sustainable farm before buying
8 acres of land southwest of downtown
Dahlonega. Her plan included raising
butterflies as a way to help people
understand their importance as
pollinators and to increase awareness of
the need to conserve the environment.
" I'm all in on the farm, " she says. " Since opening, I have reinvested all
JoAnn Goldenburg
profits into the expansion of the gardens, trails and infrastructure. "
On opening day in June 2019, the farm welcomed 500 visitors, but it
was forced to close during the pandemic. It reopened in April and now
offers individual tickets and tours for schools, seniors and other groups.
Growing her own
Since butterflies live just two to three weeks, Goldenburg raises eight
to 12 different species during the spring and summer months. This year,
her butterfly species include giant swallowtails, fritillaries, monarchs, white
peacocks and buckeyes.
Some of her native caterpillars originate on plants she grows on
the farm.
" I might get 20 caterpillars when the eggs on a plant hatch, " she says.
" I've got a 70 percent success rate rearing them indoors
in containers, which is good. Only 40 percent survive in
the wild because of birds, weather, lizards and so on. "
grow the specific plants that different caterpillars need. Zebra
swallowtail caterpillars eat pawpaws, for example, while
cabbage whites feed on broccoli, cabbage and similar plants.
Adult monarchs drink the nectar from many different flowers
but lay their eggs only on milkweed plants, which provide
food for the caterpillars when they emerge.
To raise any species successfully, she says, you must
Top: Fields of blooming plants at the farm
serve to both attract and feed butterfl ies.
Above: Butterfl ies native to tropical
environments are housed in the conservatory
at Dahlonega Butterfl y Farm.
28 Georgia Magazine August 2022
grow the specific plants that different caterpillars need. Zebra
swallowtail caterpillars eat pawpaws, for example, while
cabbage whites feed on broccoli, cabbage and similar plants.
Adult monarchs drink the nectar from many different flowers
but lay their eggs only on milkweed plants, which provide
food for the caterpillars when they emerge.
She also buys imported species so she'll have native and
non-native butterflies for visitors to enjoy. The conservatory,
which is open from April to October, typically houses
She also buys imported species so she'll have native and
non-native butterflies for visitors to enjoy. The conservatory,
which is open from April to October, typically houses
Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed plants.
Georgia Magazine - August 2022

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