Butterfly Breeding Program commences at Resthaven

Staff at Resthaven Marion Community Services have been busy getting the site prepared for their new Butterfly Breeding Program, recently welcoming their first two ‘customers’!

Coordinator, Monika Lyckholm, says, ‘We have an environmentally friendly community here, and one day, we were discussing the significant decline in Monarch butterflies.’

‘We had all become excited about the idea of fostering our own Monarch family in the garden here – there was no turning back!’

After weeks of preparation, the highly anticipated program has commenced.

‘We currently have a Monarch caterpillar, and a tiny egg attached to a swamp milkweed plant, which they love to feed on.’

‘The caterpillar is only a few millimetres in size – the photo is very deceiving!’

The program will involve special client viewings, where clients can see the process of growth from start to finish.

‘The butterfly metamorphosis will be available for viewing over the nine to 14 days in which it takes for them to develop into a butterfly.’

‘Once they become butterflies, they will then be released into our community garden, which we have filled with various plants that butterflies love to eat and are visually attracted to.’

The site’s very own butterfly enthusiast, Therapy Assistant, Michelle, will facilitate the program.

‘We are excited to see how the program will progress – we anticipate having a garden full of butterflies in no time.’

Watch this space!