Sickles Market Annual Butterfly and Peaches Celebration

Sickles Market, Little Silver, will hold its annual
Butterfly and Peaches Celebration, Saturday, August 11 from11a.m. – 3 p.m. The
celebration’s mission is to create awareness about the very special, delicious
New Jersey peach, its many varieties, preparations made with fresh peaches and
products made from peaches such as preserves jams and salsas. Several
activities are scheduled including the highly anticipated annual butterfly
release. All activities are free and the times are as follows:

11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Peach tastings, grilling demonstrations.

3 p.m. The spectacular butterfly release of approximately
100 butterflies.

“Jersey Peaches are a seasonal delicacy,” explained Bob
Sickles, third generation owner of Sickles Market, Little Silver. “They are
picked at high maturity - which means they have more sugar, are larger and
better tasting than peaches grown in other states – and delivered directly to
our market. It’s the freshness and the seasonality that makes Jersey peaches so
special. So eat a peach and keep our farmers farming,” he said.

The connection between peaches and butterflies are many:  

First, insects such as honeybees and butterflies play a
pivotal role in the maturation of most fruit trees and other fruit bearing
plants. They help to cross-pollinate pollen from one tree to another insuring
that the flowers are pollinated and will produce fruit; second, both peaches
and butterflies are fully developed and plentiful in August; third, it is
fascinating and educational, and so much fun to watch as they go through
miraculous metamorphosis from caterpillar to chrysalis, and then, emerging as a
magnificent butterfly.

Painted Lady butterflies are native to the Jersey shore and
can be found in our gardens, along roadsides and in fields.  Also on display in Sickles garden center are
flowering plants with special identification that attract these beautiful and
helpful insects to your garden or yard such as the Butterfly Bush(Buddleia
davidii) pictured above.

All events are free.

Big sales throughout the store 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.