Unit 04 – A Butterfly Garden

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the term for the immense richness of life on earth. This includes variety among and within living things and ecological systems. Scientifically, biodiversity is recognised at four levels — landscape, ecosystem, species and genetic information.

Why protect biodiversity?

The interrelated nature of life on earth means that each life form depends on many others to function successfully. Healthy environments are diverse environments. For the air we breathe, the water we drink and other life-sustaining processes we depend on many living forms.

Why butterflies?

Butterflies are beautiful to look at, amazing to investigate and contribute to the biodiversity of our rainforests. They pollinate flowers as they collect nectar and are an important part of the food chain.

Unfortunately there are many factors that threaten butterfly species variety and population densities. Two key factors are land clearing and development of areas in the Wet Tropics. This causes loss of native food and host plants (‘butterfly food plants’). Land clearing allows weeds to invade an area making it difficult for the ‘butterfly food plants’ to grow. In general urban gardens do not have many ‘butterfly food plants’. Urbanisation brings in more predators, specifically humans. Many people perceive the caterpillars as pests because they eat their plants, and so spray and kill them.

A butterfly garden of native ‘butterfly food plants’ provides butterflies with food, shelter from extremes of weather and predators, and a suitable habitat in which to breed. By planting this garden students have an opportunity to observe and investigate native animals in a recreated habitat. Students learn to care for butterflies and develop an understanding about how they contribute to the biodiversity of the rainforest. Extended affiliation with butterflies is likely to increase students’ empathy with them. The students are likely to encourage their parents and siblings to view butterflies in a similar light.

A long-term project like this reaps creates opportunities for deep knowledge and understanding and connectedness to the world.