In the spring of 1997, the Tawanka Garden Club, a group of teachers, students and parent volunteers supported by our Home and School Association, started a butterfly garden at our school. We received a grant from the Bucks Beautiful program, as well as a mini-grant from the Neshaminy School District, to purchase plants and supplies. The Tawanka Garden Club planted perennials and shrubs in the beginning of May. Our first grade classrooms started zinnias, parsley and carrots from seeds in peat pots in March and planted them with the help of parent volunteers in the garden in the middle of May. The second grade classrooms took turns for six weeks (May - June) watering the garden. During the summer, five girl scout troops took turns watering the garden. We also started a journal to record butterfly sightings and comments.

Starting the second week of school in September, the Garden Club provided Monarch caterpillars for each classroom. After the caterpillars reached the adult stage as butterflies, they were tagged using the Monarch Watch Program's tagging program. After the butterflies were tagged, they were released into our butterfly garden with well wishes for a successful migration to Mexico. Our 3rd grade classrooms were then introduced to the Monarch Watch Program via the Internet.

The whole school has become involved in this project. Mrs. Luba, Tawanka's art teacher, had her first and second grade classes draw pictures of the flowers in the butterfly garden this fall, and Mrs. McClurken, Tawanka's reading specialist, has had students observing the growth of the plants and writing the observations in their journals.

We also entered the butterfly garden in the Bucks Beautiful Fall Competition and won third place in the Children's Garden category. Our local newspaper, the Bucks County Courier Times, featured our butterfly garden.

We have now started our second year with a visit from Rick Mikula who gave our school a wonderful seminar about butterflies in the beginning of May. We look forward to another year with our butterfly garden.

The following is a list of recorded butterfly sightings thus far: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Monarch, Fiery Skipper, Silver-Spotted Skipper and American Painted Lady.

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