Culture
Butterfly Ridge Conservation Center invites visitors to pay closer attention to the diverse life all around them
By: Emily Votaw
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ROCKBRIDGE, Ohio (WOUB) – Deep in the Hocking Hills, a former patch of farmland has become one of Southeast Ohio’s most unique educational destinations. Since opening to the public in 2017, Butterfly Ridge Butterfly Conservation Center (17864 OH-374) has welcomed visitors not with a glass-enclosed pavilion of fluttering wings, but with something quieter and potentially more transformative: a hands-on invitation to pay attention.
Founded by husband and wife Chris and Kris Kline on 21 acres of family land, Butterfly Ridge is a conservation and education center focused on native pollinators.
Chris, the center’s director and a former teacher, brings an educator’s mindset to daily programming. Each afternoon during the summer, the center offers guided tours at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., leading visitors through the evolving landscape while teaching them to identify local butterfly species and understand the habitat modifications that make the property conducive to pollinator activity.
Beyond these tours, Butterfly Ridge maintains an active educational presence on social media, shares data-rich observations, and offers outreach designed to equip the public with the tools to make ecologically beneficial choices in their yards and communities.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Butterfly Ridge’s programming is its “Mothing Zone” events, held every Saturday night from June through August (excluding the first Saturday of the month). Visitors gather after dark as Kline and volunteers set up ultraviolet and mercury vapor lights to attract a wide range of nocturnal insects, primarily moths, beetles, flies, and bees.
“For a lot of people, they’ve never really paid that much attention to what’s going on around them,” said Kline. “So when you have this wide variety of critters, 12 inches in front of your face, they think it’s just so cool.”
The data collected during these events is extensive. Kline and his team photograph hundreds of insects per night, tracking time of appearance, temperature, and even the moon phase to identify behavioral patterns. Since 2017, Butterfly Ridge has documented nearly 1,100 species of moths on the property.
The programming at Butterfly Ridge is as much about awareness as it is about education. Kline emphasizes the ecological importance of pollinators and the consequences of land management practices, such as mowing fields in the fall, which can inadvertently destroy the following year’s butterfly population. His message is clear: once people observe their environments more carefully, their behavior changes.
“It’s about understanding who shares your property with you,” he said, noting that even small changes in urban or suburban lawn care can benefit pollinators.
For those interested in a different kind of nature experience—one that prizes patience, observation, and a willingness to be surprised—Butterfly Ridge offers a compelling model. Through guided tours, interactive exhibits, evening moth observation events, and accessible public education, the center cultivates a deeper appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us all the time—if only we take the time to look.
Keep tabs on events, like The Mothing Zone, at Butterfly Ridge, by following them on Facebook.