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C THunsorrv, Drcrunln 3, 2009 Tnr MoruRor rouRNArEpucATtoNthe butterfly garden at Monroe Academl--

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HOW THE GARDENCAME ABOUT

Have you ever seen a cater-pillar turn into a butterfly? Itis magical - it is nature inaction - it is God's creation.Thanks to the ongoing effortsof two women, Lynn Byrd andTricia Fenelon, a butterfly gar-den, located in the preschoolarea at Monroe Academy isnow a little over 2 years old.with support from the head-master, help from parents andteachers as well as businesses,plants and supplies weredonated, and the butterfly gar-den now provides excitement,awe and educational opportu-nities for the children.

Lynn said that she andTricia discovered that theAlabama Wildlife Federationhas an outdoorclassroom pro-gram of which the butterflygarden is one. Theyobtainedpermission to start a garden atthe school and did their"homework" to determine thecorrect plantings for the gar-den. In 2008 the garden wasplanted outside the preschoolbuilding. She and Tricia's sonswere in the K-4 program at thetime and these studbnts assist-ed with the project by startingseedlings inside and laterplanted the seedlings, wateredthe garden, and released but-terflies in the garden.

LnGnnoe rurruc

HonsrrBy Dell Walston

pupa stage, they do not eautheyjust rest and change andthis is called metamorphosis.\tVhen they emerge from thechrysalis, they will havechanged into a wet, r,winkledbutterfly. Once their wingsunfold and dry, they are readyto fly.Through this amazing lifecycle, host plants are neces-sary for egg laying and cater-pillar feeding. The flowersthat produce nectar are neces-sary for the butterflies to eat.Butterflies need water andmud puddles. Mud puddles?Yes, they prefer to drink frommud puddles because themud provides salt and miner-als.PLANTS THAT ATTRACT

BUTTERFTIESAre you wondering aboutthe plants they have in the

butterfly garden? Llmn saysthey have fennel and parsleyto attract Black Swallowtailbutterflies, milkweed to attractMonarch butterflies and

that they like red and yellowplants, and trumpet-shapedflowers. A sunny location isneeded since butterflies arecold blooded, and theylovethe sun and warmth. Theyhad zinnias, Mexican petu-nias, and red, blue and limecolored salvia, cleome andmany perennials.AND THEN THE

BUTTERFLIES CAMEThey have seen orange but-terflies, believed to be the GulfFritillary, yellow butterfl ies(sulphurs) and orange andbrown butterflies (buckeyes).

The host plants for these but-terflies most likely are growingwild in nearbywooded areas.The Monarch, a beautiful but-terfly was spotted in the gardenbut now they have begun theirmigration to Mexico.Llmn states this is a worth-while project, and as one mightexpect, there have been sur-prises along the way. The firstyear definitely was one of trialand error with a few set backsbecause some of the plants didnot live, but she is optimisticthat they,are well on theirwaynow. She still is a little amazedand fascinated to witness theconcept "If you plant, &ey willcome". Persistence does haveits rewards.WHAT'S NEXT

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K4 students take time out to have a picture taken with the garden.

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dens, and a nature trail.Recently, a representative fromthe AlabamaWildlifeFederation surveyed the cam-pus to assist in the planningstage of these projects.Obviously, this is a work inprogress that is still in thevisionary and planning stage.It is anticipated that there will

be ground broken for theother projects this year.VISIT THE BUTTERFLYGARDEN BIOG

Tricia and Lynn started ablog to journal the efforts ofthe butterfly garden. you mayvisit it at http://monroeacade-mybutterfl ies.blogspot.com/

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K3 students with the butterfly garden.