Oak Trace Elementary Butterfly Garden

eed needs to become a national priority.” The use of chemicals on both plants and insects, the habitat loss due to development, and loss of milkweed has so greatly impacted the monarch that they have declined by 90% over the past 20 years. The mission of this project is the creation of a monarch habitat (in particular through the establishment of milkweed) on the school grounds by students and school community. The purpose of the waystation is to provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for monarch butterflies. This habitat will include the requirements to be a certified monarch waystation as required by Monarch Watch. It will include 2 varieties of milkweed as host plants, a variety of nectar plants which provide food, and sustainable gardening practices. These practices include:
• no use of pesticides
• proper preparation and maintenance of soil and plants
• thinning, dividing and mulching on an ongoing basis


The students will learn the life cycle of the monarch butterfly and its importance in the environment as a pollinator. They will learn the interdependence of plants and animals in the world and how the loss of one small plant such as milkweed can affect an entire species and even threaten extinction. Throughout the creation and maintenance of the monarch habitat, students will identify that they are stewards of the environment, of their community and ultimately their world. The hope is that they will be impacted and seek opportunities in the future to make a difference perhaps through continued education and careers where they can continue these kinds of efforts as biologists, environmentalists, educators and conservation. Students will understand that through the combined efforts of citizens such as themselves they can make a big difference even by what they choose to do in their backyard. We want to develop solutions that could be implemented to reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment. Students will:
• observe and document the life cycle of the monarch in the habitat.
• participate in the certification process of the monarch waystation.
• experience the connection between themselves and their environment.