At first, a glistening frog on the edge of the pond caught the attention of the group of young campers at the Tyler Arboretum’s Butterfly House, where officials cut a celebratory ribbon on Thursday, July 10, to open the season.

But the amphibian soon got short shrift as the stars of the exhibit  — endangered monarchs, viceroys, swallowtails, and more — exuded their magic, periodically interrupting their snacking on flower nectar to land on their human visitors. Delighted to serve as temporary perches, the humans remained motionless until another bloom beckoned and the butterfly relocated.

What the youngsters didn’t know was that the slippery creature had eluded a staffer’s net earlier that morning after brazenly dining on butterfly and was destined for exile. A docent explained that the pond serves as a spawning ground for tadpoles. As they mature, they need to be constantly relocated to a larger pond nearby — a process that isn’t always easy, she said.

The opening also marked the beginning of a welcomed partnership between the arboretum and Axalta Coating Systems, a Glen Mills firm that is sponsoring the exhibit. “We are delighted to have Axalta as a partner for this seasonal exhibit,” said Tyler Arboretum Executive Director Rick Colbert. “They have a unique perspective on the value of color in our lives, and this is the perfect opportunity to help our guests see the wonderful array of pigments that exist in our natural world.”

Axalta does indeed value vibrancy, said Nigel Budden, an Axalta vice president who heads its North America business and shared ribbon-cutting duties with Colbert. The company is a global supplier of liquid and powder coatings for myriad industries, including automotive, industrial, architectural and decorative – hues that, unlike the butterflies’ display, require extensive time and labor to create. “We also believe color should be brilliant, and butterflies provide an example of vivid color coming to life,” Budden said.

A native of New Zealand, where monarchs are still flourishing, Budden said his company’s commitment to sustainability makes the partnership with the arboretum a great fit.

The goal of the exhibit, which will be open during July and August, is to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the role butterflies play in nature. “Unfortunately, butterflies and other pollinators have taken a huge hit in numbers in recent years,” said Amy Mawby, Tyler’s director of public programs. “They are essential for the health and sustainability of our ecosystems.”

The return of the 1,400-square-foot Butterfly House — with sponsorship that will allow the arboretum to enhance the exhibit’s signage, accoutrements and educational reach – is not the only cause for celebration this season, officials said. This year marks the 70^th anniversary of the public arboretum, which is situated on 650 acres that date back to a William Penn land grant in 1681.

In 1825, two bachelor brothers – the sixth of eight generations of the same family that farmed the land – sowed the seeds of what would become the arboretum. Jacob and Minshall Painter became enamored of the naturalist movement of the time and planted more than 1,000 trees and plants on the property, 22 of which still exist, said Laura McPhail, Tyler’s communications specialist. The brothers’ sister, Ann, and her husband, William Tyler, inherited the property after the brothers’ deaths and subsequently bequeathed it to their son John, whose wife, Laura, became the final descendant of the family and set up the public arboretum.

McPhail said the arboretum is also excited about the opening of a 10th tree house within the next couple of weeks. Two years in the making, the latest addition to the arboretum’s popular collection is designed around a trio of tulip poplars that appear to be bursting through its roof.

The Butterfly House and the tree house collection are just a fraction of the offerings at the arboretum, which is open 362 days a year, said McPhail. Seventeen miles of trails of varying degrees of difficulty traverse woodlands, wetlands and meadows. During the summer, an assortment of hammocks offers alternatives to benches for rest and reflection. The arboretum, which annually serves about 7,000 schoolchildren from 20 districts and four states, also oversees the preservation of historic buildings ranging from a stone bank barn – a popular wedding venue – to a root cellar.

McPhail said the arboretum strives to ensure that a variety of offerings for all ages are available year-round.  For more information on Tyler Arboretum, visit www.tylerarboretum.org.

Top photo: Campers ready at ribbon cutting of Butterfly House at Tyler Arboretum. From left Jessica Cicali, Nigel Budden , Rick Colbert, Lisa Miree-Luke.