Make your own butterfly garden

 I first wrote this as an idea for the student council but since we didn’t have time to realize it this year, I decided to share it with you all, wishing that it will inspire you to build your very own butterfly garden.

To put things into context, here’s some information on butterflies:

Butterflies play a vital role in the pollination and the growth of plants. They are an indicator of a healthy environment and ecosystem and we need to see more of them here in Quebec. The world’s food source depends on pollinators. Monarch butterflies have experienced a huge decrease in numbers over the past decade due to habitat loss and climate change. The population has declined by 26% just taking into account the year 2020. However, we have started to see a slight upturn again, as people start to plant butterfly gardens suitable for monarchs. Monarchs travel much further than other butterflies. They migrate twice a year, up to 4,000 miles each way. They will fly in big groups to the same winter roots, often the same trees despite the fact that the migration period spans three to four generations. So they go back to the places their grandparents and great-grandparents knew – places they sort of know instinctively.

What you need for the butterfly garden:

Host flowers and nectar-rich flowers

Butterflies need food, so to attract them, you will need to plant flowers rich in nectar and pollen – in bright, warm colors. Butterflies also need host plants on which to lay their eggs.
Here’s some websites with many examples of plants: ButterflyWebsite.com 
Butterfly Plant List Butterfly Plants for Sunny Gardens   Butterfly Plants for Shady Gardens Butterfly Plants for the Seashore   Butterfly Herb Gardens   Marigold Varieties   Phlox Species
The cost of these plants can vary, for example, $ 20-25 for a medium-sized plant. There are several stores and florists in Vaudreuil-Dorion including Home Dépôt or Center Jardin / Passion Jardin.

Fruits

In addition, butterflies need fruits to get the essential nutrients and vitamins they need.
For example: oranges, grapefruits, peaches, nectarines, kiwis, apples, strawberries, watermelon and bananas. You can find a variety of fruits at good prices at multiple Vaudreuil grocery stores including Super C, Costco … For example, the cost of a bag of bananas could be around $ 2.

The place

Butterflies like a nice sunny spot and a place to sit, like on a small rock in the sun. 

A small shelter

They also need shelter to protect themselves from the wind. These little “houses” can usually be found for just a few dollars at Dollarama. Ps: it would be interesting to maybe give them some color using paint. 😉

Water source

Butterflies also need water. Small dishes / bowls like the one in the picture can be found for less than $ 5 at Dollarama or at similar stores. You could also think of buying small decorations like colorful rocks to give butterflies a chance to sit on them and drink water more easily.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how your butterfly garden could look like. The first five are from my school, Cite des Jeune, where together with the student council we made a cute one in the interior garden.

Hope you have lots of fun making yours! It would be awesome if you’d send me a few pictures of how it looks like when it’s done 🙂
I will also share pics on here, later on, when my butterfly garden is ready.
Let’s do our contribution and put our forces together in order to help these beautiful majestic creatures.