Story: Butterfly Haven

“Good morning, Mia!” Pip, the deer mouse, calls out from her hollow in the cypress tree.

“Good morning, Pip!” Mia, the blue jay, flutters down from her perch. “I had the most wonderful dream.”

“What’s the dream about?” Pip asks, her whiskers twitching.

“A butterfly haven in the community garden,” Mia says. “We can create a place where we enjoy watching the butterflies flutter freely.”

“Amazing!” Pip squeaks. “How do we start?”

“A lot of flowers,”. Mia replies. “And, we need to build butterfly stations with water.”

“Let’s get started!” Pip says.

Pip and Mia set off into the Watercolor Woods to find flowers for planting.

“Look, Pip! Here is a patch of daisies,” Mia points out.

“We can divide them! Leave some here, and plant some in the garden,” Pip exclaims.

“Let’s find different types of flowers. Butterflies like a variety,” Mia shares.

“Perfect,” Pip agrees. “Lead the way.”

“I think the meadow is the perfect place to find them,”. Mia leads Pip. “Let’s gather some marigolds, asters, and milkweed. Butterflies love those.”

They spend the remainder of the morning dividing flowers and collecting seeds.

“This is going to be the best butterfly haven ever,”. Pip says grinning.

“It is!” Mia agrees. “We have enough flowers for the haven. Let’s go to the garden, Plant these, and start the stations.”

In the garden, Pip remarks, “Whew! The planting is finished.”

“We need small platforms for the butterflies to rest,” Mia explains, “And, we should put out shallow dishes with water to drink and pebbles for the butterflies to land.”

“Got it,”. Pip says. “These flat rocks make perfect platforms.”

“I’ll work on the water dishes,” Mia says. “These shells will make good dishes.”

They spend the afternoon making the stations, working side by side.

“How does it look?” Pip asks.

“Great! Thanks, Pip,”. Mia says smiling. “We make a great team.”

Pip and Mia sit back and watch the garden, hoping to see their first visitor.

“Did you know that butterflies are attracted to bright colors?” Mia asks, Pip.

“I didn’t know that,”. Pip nods. “What else?”

“They use nectar from the flowers for energy,” Mia shares.

“Good to know,” Pip says. “What about the water stations?”

“Butterflies need water to drink, but they also use it to cool down,” Mia explains. “The pebbles give them a place to safely land.”

“Fascinating!” Pip exclaims.

“Look, Pip!” Mia whispers. “A monarch butterfly is on the milkweed!”

“Our first visitor!” Pip exclaims.

“This is beautiful and peaceful!” Pip smiles.

“Dreams do come true,”. Mia whispers.

“It’s just a beginning,” Pip looks at Mia. “We can do more to help nature in our Watercolor Woods.”

“Yes, we can,” Mia agrees. “I wonder what we can do next?”

“I don’t know, but we can find out.” Pip grins at Mia as they gaze at the butterflies in the butterfly haven.

“Today, we enjoy this peaceful butterfly haven,” Mia says smiling.