3 STEPS TO CREATING A BUTTERFLY GARDEN
Find a sunny corner of the yard or rooftop. Most
butterfly-attracting flowers require direct sunlight and
are drought resistant. Look for some open-face,
open-head native species seeds such as:
-
Butterfly Milkweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)
-
Purple Coneflower
(Echinacea pallida)
-
Wild Bergamont (Monarda
fistulosa) or bee balm
-
Dense Blazing Stars
(Liatris spicata)
-
New England Aster
(Aster novae-angliae)
They can be found at local
nurseries or events such as
Seedy Saturday
Plant them, watch them grow and start
counting butterflies! For more information about
community gardening, visit:
www.foodshare.ca
www.evergreen.ca
www.leaftoronto.org
One day, Dan O'Leary decided that his high-rise community needed a
garden out front. So, he took it upon himself to grab a shovel and dig up
some earth. As the garden grew, so did the interest from neighbours.
They started asking questions and before long they were grabbing
shovels and volunteering their time.
The St. Lawrence neighbourhood in Toronto is largely a high-rise community
with limited green space. Through Eneract's smartliving St.
Lawrence program, local gardeners like Dan O'Leary are provided with
the necessary resources to make a true difference within the local community.
?Gardens are an opportunity to engage the community in greening
activities," says O'Leary. With community support, O'Leary has
established the Princess Park Children's Organic Garden in an old
abandoned lot next to a daycare centre. This is home to may vegetables
and herbs as well as fruit trees and an eco-friendly storage shed
built by local volunteers. With help from smartliving St. Lawrence,
O'Leary has been able to connect with residents, including children,
youth and seniors who represent groups such as the neighbourhood
association, the recreation centre and area schools.
Gardening in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood has spread across
the community. "You can make gardening fun to do," says O'Leary. The
children's garden has since expanded into projects such as planting
naturalized garden beds in abandoned plots and upgrading local
tree pits with mulch and flowers. Through these activities, O'Leary has
helped introduce residents to some simple actions that they can take to
make their neighbourhood a greener, more vibrant place to live.
"It's about doing what you can commit to finish," advises O'Leary.
"By keeping volunteer commitments realistic, it is easier to accomplish
your gardening goals, one step at a time." The St. Lawrence
gardening crews have managed to plant everything
from basil to cantaloupe to cucumbers in raised garden
beds, demonstrating the viability of growing your own
food in a local, urban environment. With the help of a solar
cooker, harvests turn into easy and environmentally friendly
cookouts.
Recently, Eneract's smartliving St. Lawrence program planted
a large butterfly garden with
the help of 50+ local volunteers. This garden will
be used by local schoolchildren to learn about
plants, garden stewardship and community volunteerism.
With O'Leary's guidance, plant
species were chosen based on their capacity to
grow in their native environments and their
open-faced, open-headed flowers that best
attract butterflies.
O'Leary considers butterflies the "canary in
the coal mine" for the health of the environment.
While the insects have a high level of genetically
imprinted knowledge that allows them to travel
thousands of miles with the changing seasons,
the destruction of habitats where they feed and
reproduce have caused a decline in their numbers.
This paints a bleak picture of what is
happening to both local and global environments.
However, the projects initiated by Dan
O'Leary and his volunteers have shown that one
man's dream can indeed translate into a greener,
healthier, more vibrant community for people
and butterflies alike.
Author:
Jenn Gaudette
