M7: WILD Spaces for Monarchs
Background
Now that you’ve learned so much about monarchs, it’s almost time for you to get outside and put your new skills to use! Soon you will work with your group to create a butterfly garden to help not just monarchs, but all kinds of beneficial animals. If you already have a garden at your school, that’s great – you can still follow along.
Your teacher or leader will guide you as you work with your group to create your wild space. Just think of how great you’ll feel when you spot the first critter in the space you’ve made! Colourful flowers and berries and all the features you include will make this an inviting wild space for birds, butterflies, and other beneficial creatures – like you!
Task
Use this WILD Spaces for Monarchs checklist as you plan your space. Ensure your garden:
- Receives six or more hours of sun per day
- Has elements to shelter butterflies from harsh weather
- Includes sunning spots for butterflies
- Has healthy soil to feed healthy plants
- Has milkweed plants
- Has a variety nectar-rich plants that bloom continuously from early summer to late fall
This checklist is available as a print-out if you like. You can find it under the 'Resources' section on this page in the top right-hand corner.
Choose a sunny spot, and add some logs or flat stones – monarchs and other butterflies will use these spots to warm up in the heat of the sun. Remember to provide shelter from the weather, using a nearby fence or row of trees, or create it by planting shrubs or adding features.
Get the ground ready for planting. You will need tools to remove grass and weeds: shovels, edgers and trowels. Add compost or manure to make your soil healthy for planting. You can mix the soil and compost together using a rake – or your hands!
You need two main kinds of plants in your WILD Space: plants in the milkweed family (for caterpillars) and plants with nectar-rich blooms (for adult butterflies). Monarchs must lay their eggs on plants in the milkweed family. Their caterpillars will not eat anything except milkweed, and milkweed is disappearing, so planting it is a big help for monarchs.
Include a variety of plants in your garden that will bloom continuously from the time monarchs arrive in early summer to late fall when they migrate south for winter. Try to group the plants in clusters of three to five – this will help capture the monarchs’ attention.
Monarchs get the liquids they need from plant nectar, but you can offer them a small water dish, if you like. Remember to include some sticks and stones for them to perch on.
*garden PDF
*table
Once you’ve helped to create a beautiful wild space, you’ll probably be asked to help look after it. At first, someone will need to water the new plants until they are established. Eventually, you might be asked to help keep the garden tidy and weed-free, and make sure there are no pest problems.
Use your time in the garden – whether you are helping or just relaxing – to look around and see who or what is visiting your wild space. This is the most rewarding part!
Finally, it’s time to share your WILD Space with others. The last few assignments you’ll complete here are about sharing pictures and stories. When you do this, you will encourage your family and friends to create similar spaces, and you’ll help scientists by letting them know what kinds of creatures you’re attracting to the space. You’ll also be showing the world that you care!
Have fun in the dirt and report back!
Learning Objectives
Discover how to help monarch butterflies with your wild space.
