Make your own butterfly garden

Hey there!

I originally wrote this as a project proposal for my high school’s student council, but I thought it would be great to share it with all of you too. My hope is that it inspires you to create your very own butterfly garden—a small but powerful way to make a difference!

Before diving into the details, let me give you a little background on why butterflies are so important:

Butterflies play a crucial role in pollination and the overall health of our ecosystems. They are not just beautiful to look at—they’re also indicators of a thriving environment. Sadly, we’ve been seeing fewer butterflies here in Quebec, especially Monarch butterflies, whose numbers have dramatically declined over the past decade due to habitat loss and climate change. In 2020 alone, the Monarch population dropped by 26%. However, there’s hope! As more people plant butterfly gardens, Monarchs are starting to make a comeback. These incredible creatures migrate up to 4,000 miles each way, twice a year, often instinctively returning to the exact wintering spots their ancestors visited, meaning the places their grandparents and great-grandparents knew. Isn’t that amazing?

What you need for the butterfly garden:

Host flowers and nectar-rich flowers

To attract butterflies, you’ll need to plant flowers rich in nectar and pollen—think bright, warm colors. Butterflies also need host plants where they can lay their eggs. Below are some resources to help you choose the right plants for your garden:

https://butterflywebsite.com/butterflygardening.

https://butterflywebsite.com/butterfly-plants-shady-garden.cfm

https://butterflywebsite.com/butterfly-plants-sunny-garden.cfm

Plant costs can range from $20-25 for a medium-sized plant, and you can find them at local stores like Home Depot and Center Jardin / Passion Jardin in Vaudreuil-Dorion.

Fruits

Butterflies also need fruits to get essential nutrients and vitamins. Oranges, grapefruits, peaches, nectarines, kiwis, apples, strawberries, watermelon, and bananas are all great options. You can find these at local grocery stores like Super C and Costco, where a bag of bananas, for example, might cost around $3.

The place

Butterflies love sunny spots and need a place to rest, like a small rock basking in the sun.

A small shelter

To protect themselves from the wind, butterflies need a little shelter. You can find simple “butterfly houses” for just a few dollars at Dollarama, and you could even get creative by painting them! Here’s a link that explains hibernation boxes in more detail: https://butterflywebsite.com/articles/butterfly-hibernation-boxes.cfm

Water source

Butterflies need water too. Small dishes or bowls can be found for less than $5 at Dollarama or similar stores. Consider adding colorful rocks to these water sources, giving butterflies a place to land and drink. If you have a little water stream, all the better! But if not, remember that you can always make your own!

I’ve included some pictures to give you an idea of how your butterfly garden could look like. The first five are from my high school, Cité-des-Jeunes, where we, the student council, created a beautiful garden in the interior courtyard, at the middle of the school!