Pollinator Park in Rotary Park in La Salle underway

The first phase of the new Pollinator Park at La Salle’s Rotary Park started Saturday and was capped off with the first butterfly visit.

Rotarians and family members from La Salle, Peru and Illinois Valley Sunrise began construction of the pollinator demonstration plot near the park entrance on the east side.

The 15-foot-by-15-foot plot also will feature an interpretive educational sign about the importance of pollinator flowers for the health of bees and butterflies, and point visitors to the larger 10-acre pollinator area on the park’s west side.

The 10-acre site, phase two, is scheduled for planting in the upcoming weeks.

For the demonstrator plot, Rotarians bought an assortment of pollinators including cone flowers, blazing star and golden rod, among others.

As work was wrapping up and shovels were being put away, a monarch butterfly landed on one of the freshly planted flowers, and that image was captured by Peru Rotarian Chadd Kreofsky.

“It made the whole day’s effort worth it,” he said.

The Pollinator Park project is being funded by the Rotary clubs of Illinois Valley Sunrise, Peru and La Salle, in combination with a grant from Rotary District 6420 that serves all clubs in northern Illinois.