Spring is right around the corner. What an excellent time to take a few minutes to learn something new about butterflies! Butterflies and other pollinators play an important and vital role in our ecosystem!

Here are a few things you can do to help support butterflies and pollinators in our community

1. Plan a layout for a wildflower garden filled with a variety of native Minnesota nectar and host plants! Choose flowers that will bloom at different times throughout the summer months into fall.
2. Provide a water source for the pollinators, such as a puddling station. Fill a small dish with a mix of sand and soil, add small rocks for pollinators to perch on. The pollinators will use their proboscis to drink from the damp soil and absorb nutrients!
3. Don’t rush to clean up dead leaves and brush in the spring! Wait until temperatures are consistently above 50. Some pollinators are still resting inside the left over brush.
4. Watch a documentary or read a book to learn more about butterflies!
   • Wings of Life or Flight of the Butterflies are fantastic options to watch!
   • Monarch Butterflies by Ann Hobbie or Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope are excellent to read!
5. Share with us what your family is doing to learn about butterflies on this special day! Use #CMSMLearnAboutButterfliesDay

Fun Facts About Butterflies

1. There are more than 20,000 types of butterflies worldwide.
2. Butterfly wings are made up of tiny scales that give them their unique color and pattern variations.
3. A female monarch in the wild can lay up to 500 eggs on milkweed plants throughout her summer (2-5 week) lifespan!
4. Monarch butterflies can flap their wings up to 12 times per second, perfect to help them on their 3,000 mile journey to the Oyamel Forests of Mexico in the fall!
5. Adult monarchs live 2-5 weeks throughout the summer months. However, the migratory generation will live 6-9 months!