Ribbon Cut on Winding Way Butterfly Garden

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The ribbon was cut on a new butterfly garden at Winding Way in Simon Meadow during a ceremony on the morning of Friday, April 5.

The butterfly garden marks the most recent addition to the area, joining several upcycled treasures, including a collection of colorful birdhouses. The garden was made possible with a donation by Colleen Morrissey, who was celebrated during the ceremony.

“Last December 2023, Colleen attended the ribbon cutting for the YMCA’s new quarter-mile walking path: Pali Path,” Cindy Simon, who has helped steward the land over the years, said. “She engaged [Palisades-Malibu YMCA] Executive Director Jim Kirtley in a tour and along the way said, ‘Jim, I’d like to contribute to the beauty of this place.’”

A few years ago, Simon explained, the area where Winding Way now stands had a “huge eucalyptus tree” which “one day toppled over.” That is when she installed the birdhouses (brought in a suitcase from Cape Cod: “But that’s another story,” Simon joked). The birdhouses were recently moved to a different part of Winding Way to make space for the butterfly garden.

“Colleen has always been an admirer of beauty,” Simon said. “Her front lawn is pretty much the Arboretum of the Huntington … with roses, fruit trees and tall sycamores. When you pass by her house, you feel like you are in a Jo Malone commercial … this butterfly garden is yet another ‘special kiss’ of Colleen Morrissey to our community. Thank you, Queen Colleen.”

Tracey Price, who grew up in the Palisades, married her high school sweetheart, David, and built their landscape company, American Growers.

“Without Tracey’s expertise as a landscape designer and the incredible work of her landscaping team, Simon Meadow would look nothing like it does today,” Simon said. “Tracey basically took four acres of ‘misha-masha’ and created this oasis of natural beauty.”

Simon Meadow, which is located at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road, is operated by Palisades-Malibu YMCA. It is home to the annual pumpkin patch and Christmas tree lot, as well as used throughout the year by schools and camps. It has hosted several communitywide events, including the 50th anniversary jubilee of Pacific Palisades Community Council and the centennial celebration of the Palisades.

Price brainstormed ideas for the butterfly garden design, Simon said, finding boulders and a plumber (for the fountain), as well as plantings. The next question was how to keep kids from “over-loving” the space.

“As if the good Lord above was listening to us, days later, another tree fell over and Tracey had the brilliant idea to use its branches to form a protective fence around the garden,” Simon explained.

Simon thanked Kirtley, for saying “Let’s go for it” to her and Price’s ideas, and Dorothy Miyake, who hand-crafted the origami butterflies that are now placed in the garden.

“Thank you Colleen for this gift, Tracey for your artistic vision and thoughtful implementation,” Simon said, “Dorothy for the decor, and Jim for your ‘Let’s do it’ attitude.”

Attendees then sang “Happy Birthday” to Colleen’s husband John, before the ribbon was cut. The ceremony concluded with people walking around to check out the newly opened space, which was also available to visit the next day during the Palisades-Malibu YMCA Spring Festival & Egg Hunt.