The Monarch butterfly may have a regal name, but it is just as vulnerable as the rest of its light-winged brethren.
That’s the lesson that local girl scouts and students at Hermosa View have drawn from the butterfly habitat erected on a corner of campus. School may be out for the summer, but caterpillars continue to thrive in the tiny enclosure. (Indeed, some scientists believe that summer’s warmer weather may hasten their journey out of the chrysalis).
A garden previously existed at View School, but was threatened by roaming critters like raccoons and skunks. The problem met a need when members of Girl Scout Troop 4115 pitched the idea of constructing the garden to fulfill their Bronze Award Project.
Nicole Garfield, a Hermosa Beach resident and self-described “lepidoptery nerd,” estimated that only one percent of local Monarch butterflies survive the egg-to-flight journey in the wild. Even with designated Monarch butterfly habitat along the green belt, she said a structure definitely improves the butterfly’s survival rate.
“Providing an enclosure like that definitely increases odds of their survival,” Garfield said. “If you go to butterfly sanctuaries, they have netting and everything.”
So with help from Garfield and Don Wallis, the grandfather of one of the troop members, scouts and volunteers erected the habitat in the spring. Scouts from Troop 4115 return periodically for occasional maintenance, with regular watering duties handled by a rotating crew of View School students and staff.
Sophia Wesolik, a Scout in Troop 4115, was glad that she was able use the project to fulfill the Bronze Award requirements, which requires girls to work together in larger groups. Wesolik said she hopes that the project inspires others in the community to make room for plants.
“We just need to plant more,” Wesolik said. “Everyone should build a pollinating garden, and don’t use pesticides.”
Among the lessons from erecting the garden: Monarchs are picky eaters. They lay eggs — and caterpillars will dine — almost exclusively on milkweed, Garfield said.
This made the need for an enclosure even more apparent. As an invasive species, milkweed is best kept separated, especially from the produce at the View garden.
The structure provides enough sun for the milkweed to grow, and for passers-by to see inside. But the scouts also wanted to provide a bit of protection from overly curious youngsters: a sign posted along the side asks viewers not to bump the structure so as not to detach chrysali inside, said Julie Nemeth, co-leader of the troop.
The habitat become an object of much interest from View School students at the close of the school year. Principal Sylvia Gluck said that the habitat has become a big draw for students passing between classes, and during recess and lunch.
The structure sits in the midst of the school’s garden, and has been part of the district’s efforts to emphasize the connection between nature and a healthy lifestyle.
“We certainly thought it would be beneficial to the school and the students—a kind of living museum,” Gluck said.
Garfield echoed this sentiment. By providing a contained place to view the butterflies, people are better able to appreciate their majesty, and perhaps become inspired to protect them.
“They truly are a biological phenomenon,” Garfield said. “But until people start witnessing them in person, they don’t really get it.”
