Monarch butterflies may soon be flocking to the grounds of the CERC building thanks to members of the Lake Orion Community Schools? CERC Community Preschool.
According to teacher Linda Guldi, the preschool is participating in a movement to save the monarch butterflies.
‘The milkweed plant is the only vegetation on which monarch butterflies will lay their eggs,? Guldi said. ‘Due to poor weather conditions, and more and more construction in milkweed-rich areas, the milkweed population is decreasing.?
Those factors, according to Guldi, are putting the population of the monarch butterflies at risk.
She added that in an effort to save the butterflies, teachers, neighborhoods, and community groups have been encouraged to join in the effort by creating a milkweed garden.
‘The children and staff at CERC are very excited to be a part of this,? Guldi said. ‘Children from various programs have helped too, in every area of the process.?
Even families, such as the Gentners, Rodas, and Bousteads, made the garden a family project, working together on its creation.
The Gentner family, who Guldi referred to as ‘the muscle,? dug, donated natural compost from their home garden, and planted all the milkweed plants.
Another preschool family, the Rodas, were the first family to donate and plant flowers that will attract butterflies to the garden, Guldi said.
The mother-daughter team of Kerry and Maddie Boustead also worked as gardeners, donating a majority of the flowers used in the garden. Under Kerry’s direction, the kids from Camp Wanna Have Fun also got involved in the garden, helping dig holes and plant.
The creation of the garden was solely a ‘green effort,? according to Guldi.
‘No machines or gasoline were used,? she added. ‘They just used good old-fashioned elbow grease!?
For more information about helping the monarch butterflies and how to build your own garden, visit www.livemonarch.org.
To watch the progress of the CERC Butterfly Garden, visit http://www.lakeorion.k12.mi.us/EarlyChildhood/index.htm.