The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) is pleased to recognize Gachina Landscape Management of Menlo Park, California for successfully creating an official Certified Monarch Garden at Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey. NABA celebrates the efforts of Gachina Landscape to develop a garden space that creates a paradise for butterflies while encouraging habitat restoration by providing essential elements needed by monarchs – natural food sources, clean water, cover and places and food for larvae, the young stage of the butterfly.
The introduction of a butterfly habitat has several environmental benefits:
- Use of native plants – they are hardier and require less resources to survive.
- Chemical applications are avoided to protect larvae and adults.
- Birds and beneficial insects such as lady bugs and praying mantis are attracted to these habitats.
- After bees, butterflies are the second most important pollinator.
“By creating this special area at the property, Gachina Landscape Management provides the public a unique customer experience,” says Sustainability Manager Cristina Prevarin. “The Butterfly Garden provides an intriguing natural setting through the colorful appeal of plants, flowers, insects, birds and décor. This aesthetic draws the interest of shoppers and their families, and increases their awareness of the environment and of the role that each one of us plays in preserving natural habitats.”
For more information on gardening for butterflies and details on how an entire community can become certified, visit http://nababutterfly.com/. The mission of the NABA is to increase public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies making butterflies important to a growing number of people and creating a constituency that works to conserve butterflies and their habitats.
Originally posted in the CLCA Sacramento Valley Chapter LandGab February 2016 ~ Issue 2
