The Conservancy’s new Native Plant Propagation and Butterfly Learning Center

Dragonfly Farm is the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy’s new satellite site located at Jacob Reiff Park in Lower Salford Township. Dragonfly Farm is the home of the Conservancy’s expanding Native Plant Project and our new Butterfly Learning Center. Dragonfly Farm features a native plant propagation greenhouse, a multitude of native plantings, butterfly gardens, as well as other habitat features that are enticing to pollinators and people alike. Dragonfly Farm will also soon feature our new Butterfly Learning Center.
Explore all that Dragonfly Farm has to offer!

Site Features Map

Butterfly Survey Photos

Sign-up for Butterfly Surveys

National Pollinator Week Events & Perkiomen Backyard Butterfly Surveys

Celebrate National Pollinator Week from June 16th - 22nd with the Conservancy! National Pollinator Week is an annual celebration highlighting the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystems, economies, and agriculture. In honor of this week long pollinator-palooza, the Conservancy will be hosting several volunteer opportunities and education events focused on local lepidoptera, including kicking off the Perkiomen Backyard Butterfly Survey citizen science project!!

Backyard Butterfly Survey Kick-Off:
When: June 16th - June 22nd, anytime of day!
Where: A sunny spot in your yard or garden
Volunteer Activity: Spend 15 minutes recording any butterfly & moth species you observe! Record & submit observations with our online data sheet.

Submit Backyard Butterfly Survey Data Here!

Herb & Native Plant Butterfly Gardening Workshop:
When: Tuesday, June 17th, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Where: Dragonfly Farm at Reiff Park, 775 Quarry Road, Harleysville, PA 18054
Workshop Description: During this workshop, participants will learn about a variety of native plant and herb species that specifically support local butterflies! Learn about which native plant and herb species you can plant together in your garden to support butterflies in all of their life stages! Participants will sow two different types of seeds, dill seeds and golden Alexander seeds, in two inch containers to grow for their gardens.
Workshop Fee: $15.00 per person

Workshop Registration

Native Plant Work Day & Butterfly Survey at Cuddy Park:
When: Wednesday, June 18th, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Where: Cuddy Park, 102 Colonial Drive, Perkiomenville, PA 18074
Volunteer Activity: The Conservancy hosts a weekly volunteer Native Plant Work Day each Wednesday. On June 18th, volunteers will work with staff to maintain a previously installed natively planted rain garden. Volunteers will also participate in a butterfly survey within the Cuddy Park meadow.

Sign-up for a Native Plant Work Day

Conservation Project Butterfly Survey Program:
When: May - October
Where: One of our six different survey sites that feature previously installed conservation projects. Butterfly Survey sites include: Cuddy Park - Perkiomenville, Dragonfly Farm at Reiff Park - Harleysville, Green Lane Park - Green Lane, Lenape Park - Schwenksville, Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy - Schwenksville, & Bucher Park - Harleysville.
Volunteer Activity: Survey volunteers can conduct surveys at their sites at their convenience on weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. Survey volunteers simply walk a consist path at the site and record any and all butterfly species observed on a provided, online data sheet.

Sign-up for Conservation Project Butterfly Surveys

Butterfly Survey Training:
When: August 9th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Dragonfly Farm at Reiff Park, 775 Quarry Road, Harleysville, PA 18054
Volunteer Activity: Learn more about our local lepidoptera! This training session will provide participants with information about a variety of native butterfly species, their habitats, and host plants. Participants will also learn about the Conservancy’s volunteer Butterfly Survey program, our butterfly gardens, and our Butterfly Learning Center. Attendees will participate in a guided butterfly survey! Training session attendees will leave the workshop with a local butterfly host plant guide sheet!

Sign-up for Butterfly Survey Training

Dragonfly Farm Details

The Conservancy’s Native Plant Project at Dragonfly Farm saw the installation of a greenhouse that allows the Conservancy’s volunteers to propagate thousands of Pennsylvania native plants at the site. The Conservancy is also beginning our butterfly restoration efforts by installing a second greenhouse that will serve as an educational space and center for our butterfly programs.

Variegated Fritillary on Purple Coneflower.

Our goals at Dragonfly Farm extend well beyond the walls of the greenhouses. It is our vision to grow Dragonfly Farm into a sustainable pollinator and butterfly oasis that showcases a variety of planting projects and best management practices.

Focus Butterfly Species:

Butterfly gardens that benefit particular butterfly species will be planted at Dragonfly Farm. The following species will focused on during the installation of butterfly gardens at the site: the Monarch Butterfly, Zebra Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, Pearl Crescent, and Variegated Fritillary.

Completed Projects:

Rain gardens (Spring & Summer 2023)
Monarch Butterfly Garden (Fall 2023)
Zebra Swallowtail Garden & Multifunctional Buffer (Fall 2023)
Spicebush Swallowtail Garden (Fall 2023)
Pearl Crescent Butterfly Garden (Fall 2023)
Variegated Fritillary Butterfly Garden (Fall 2023)
Bird Habitat Berm (Fall 2023)
Black Swallowtail Butterfly Garden (Spring 2024)
Pizza Herb Garden (Spring 2024)
Pollinator Meadow (Fall 2024)

Planned projects taking place over the next several years include:

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth Garden
Milkweed Meadow
Insect Hotel and Hibernation Station
Livestake Stock Garden
Compost Demonstration Area
And Much More!!

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth on Wild Bergamot.

Purpose & Mission

Expand the Conservancy’s Native Plant Project at Dragonfly Farm and continue to educate the community about the importance of native plants in ecosystem health and stormwater management.
Demonstrate the crucial role that native plants play in supporting local butterflies.
Create diverse native habitats that promote butterflies and that can be replicated in residential, commercial, and public landscapes.
Create a space and accompanied programming in which the community can learn about and interact with native plants and butterflies.
Grow Dragonfly Farm into a showpiece of best management practices and sustainable design. Utilize best management practices and sustainable design to support native plantings and butterflies while addressing other environmental concerns like stormwater runoff and invasive plant species.
Conduct citizen science butterfly surveys at Dragonfly Farm and other Conservancy native planting projects to collect data about the watershed’s butterfly populations.

Butterfly Surveys & Data

Butterfly Survey Protocol

Volunteer! Sign-up for Butterfly Surveys

Beginning in late Summer 2022, Conservancy staff and volunteers began conducting Butterfly Surveys at Dragonfly Farm at Jacob Reiff Park. Conservancy staff now conducts weekly surveys hosted from the beginning of May to October. During the 2024 season, staff and volunteers hosted 24 surveys during which they observed 1,729 individual butterflies and moths from 50 different species at Dragonfly Farm.

Submit Butterfly Survey Data Here!

In 2023, the Conservancy expanded Butterfly Survey volunteer opportunities to additional parks and open space areas where we have previously installed conservation projects. In addition to conducting Butterfly Surveys at Dragonfly Farm, volunteers may also conduct surveys at 5 other locations: Cuddy Park, Green Lane Park, Lenape Park, the Conservancy Headquarters, & Bucher Park.

Butterfly Survey Site Map

We need YOU to help us conduct Butterfly Surveys! Butterfly Surveys are rewarding, fun, and easy to get involved in! Survey volunteers can conduct surveys at their sites at their convenience on weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. Survey volunteers simply walk a consist path at the site and record any and all butterfly species observed on a provided, online data sheet.