Butterfly Garden

One of the really fun projects I completed this Spring at my children's school was the installation of a Butterfly Garden.  I also bought a butterfly kit so the children could watch the caterpillars transform, then release the butterflies into the garden.

Butterfly gardens aren't just pretty to look at - they serve a purpose when placed near a vegetable garden such as the one I installed at the school.  Butterflies, like bees, are great pollinators - but they don't sting.  This is a plus for the kids since they love to tend to the vegetables.

Creating such a garden is a very simple and fun project to do with kids.  Just prepare a garden bed and fill it with plants that attract butterflies!  This includes plants that caterpillars love to munch on (such as herbs like dill, oregano and fennel), as well as flowering, nectar-producing plants that butterflies love to visit.

Here is an aerial view of our butterfly garden:

Top row, from left:

Verbena, Blue Salvia, Lavender, Phlox, White Salvia

Bottom row, from left:

Lantana, Dill, Oregano, Lantana, Blue Salvia, Phlox

 

Once the butterflies were ready to be released, the children gathered around and I opened the enclosure right inside the garden:

The children cheered as the butterflies flew from the enclosure.  The last butterfly needed some encouragement, so I lent a hand:

What a beautiful day.