Evergreen Park resident Bob Erlich raises butterflies in his house and his garage. He then releases them back into the wild.
When he quit his job and stopped coaching baseball, Evergreen Park resident Bob Erlich went looking for something to do with his free time. He decided to raise butterflies in his back yard. Friends know him now as The Butterfly Guy. He is the curator of a butterfly garden at the Evergreen Park Public Library. Read More: Butterfly Guy Bob Erlich Recognized as King of the Monarchs Related Work: Light a Fire in Your Garden, and Start by Gathering Twigs Want still more? Visit Patch's House & Home topics page.
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Evergreen Park Public Library
9400 S Troy Ave, Evergreen Park, IL
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Bob Erlich's passion for monarchs grew out of his love for gardening. He has grown vegetables in his back yard for more than 35 years.
Bob Erlich wasn’t always known as The Butterfly Guy. Before he started raising caterpillars and releasing monarch butterflies back into the wild, he was a traveling salesman. He peddled jewelry for 30 years. Twice, he was robbed. Finally, he grew disgusted and quit. Meanwhile he and his wife, Joan, raised five children. When they were younger, Bob spent his summers coaching Little League baseball and growing peppers and tomatoes in his back yard. He coached for 15 years. Then, when the bats and balls were stashed away and the last of his bunch left the family nest, he went looking for something else to fill a time void in his life. He read an article. He was inspired. And he became The Butterfly Guy. “Yeah, I decided to plant a butterfly …
41.72258
-87.700649
Evergreen Park Public Library
9400 S Troy Ave, Evergreen Park, IL
/articles/butterfly-guy-bob-erlich-recognized-as-king-of-the-monarchs
1353095
/locations/6954427
Ozzy
8:46 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012
He haw, I have monarch caterpillars! First time in eons and I'm glad I protected some of the plants from the rabbits. Still cannot believe rabbit(s) are eating milkweed plants to the ground. more ›