Lake Needwood is a 75-acre reservoir in Derwood, Maryland, created in 1965 by damming Rock Creek to help with flood control and soil erosion. Nestled just east of Rockville, in Montgomery County, the lake is also the starting point of the Rock Creek Trail, which winds its way down to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Today, it’s a favorite spot for walking, biking, and running.
I often walk at Lake Needwood. It’s a calming refuge in a busy suburban county, and I enjoy it in every season — especially in the fall, when the trees blaze with color and the light turns golden.
Menelaus blue morpho (Morpho menelaus) at the Butterfly Experience.
Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County, Maryland is an award-winning 50-acre public display garden within Wheaton Regional Park. Included in the gardens are several distinct areas: Aquatic Garden, Azalea Garden, Butterfly Garden, Children’s Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Style Garden, Trial Garden, Rain Garden, and the Woodland Walk. The Formal Gardens areas include a Perennial Garden, Yew Garden, the Maple Terrace, and Fragrance Garden. Brookside Gardens also features two conservatories for year-round enjoyment. Admission to the gardens is free.
The Butterfly Experience at Brookside Gardens is a seasonal exhibit with a modest fee. Visitors get an intimate, up-close look at hundreds of brilliant live butterflies from North America, Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia as they flutter among colorful flowers throughout Brookside Gardens’ South Conservatory. The exhibit started on April 10, 2025, and runs through September 21, 2025. The Experience is located inside a conservatory glasshouse, which is usually ten degrees warmer than the outside temperature and more humid.
Zebra Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius charithonia)
The exhibit, which had been offered annually beginning in 1997, was last held in 2019 when it was suspended due to the Covid pandemic. This was my first time seeing the exhibit. I’m glad it’s back. It’s quite an undertaking. Every week during the exhibition, Brookside receives between 200 and 300 butterflies from around the world.
The butterflies are beautiful and challenging to photograph, I made these images with a Macro lens but a telephoto lens would probably have been easier. In any event, seeing these wonderful creatures is a treat.
