Project Swan Plant 4000

This Spring 2018 will be even bigger this year as I’m taking this project Nationwide – creating hubs around the country and getting as many schools on board sowing swan plant seeds for their butterfly gardens, and caring for the swan plants before they are big enough to be exposed.

This was so successful in Christchurch last year that I want to share it nationally, so many people have told me they have seen an increase in Monarchs flying around compared to previous years, plus people haven’t run out of Swan plants as much.

This September I plan to share over 100 packets of Swan Plants seeds and Acelplcia seeds. That’s at least over 4,000 swan plants around the Christchurch area for the Monarch butterflies to lay their eggs on and feed off, plus a massive boost for the Monarch butterflies population in our environment.

This means I need your help!

Please share this post and tag your friends who’d be keen to help with this project or mention me to your schools, around the Christchurch City area for #projectswanplant4000.

I’ll visit your school, kindergarten, or pre-school for free, and help you set up seedling trays and plant the seeds with the children. I’ll need school children and teachers to take care of these seeds/seedlings in a warm area in their classroom window sills in the sunshine, by watering them regularly. Plus take responsibility for these seedlings over the October school holidays at home.

I’ll briefly discuss the life cycle and how to care for the plants, answer any questions and leave you information packs. These plants will then be planted in your school’s butterfly/bee gardens. With the aim of schools planting even more, perhaps you can then sell as a fundraising effort to parents’ friends or school fairs to make money for their school.

The swan plants’ seedlings will take approximately 4 months to grow into a big healthy plant, ready for next January, when it’s peak Monarch season, (if covered and kept away from Monarchs). This is when swan plants became like gold dust and swan plants are hard to source when garden centres run out. Hopefully, together we’ll ensure there will be an abundance of swan plants this year without having a shortage like most years around the country.

I will need schools around the country that can become a hub for other schools to visit for a couple of hours, so mass seed trays can be sown then, dropped off at a local school in the area. This will save me time going to each school as there is only one of me at the moment and I have limited time. That why every school that wants to help can get the opportunity as last year there were over 100 schools.

If you live rurally and you want to be part of this project you can help by purchasing YATES NZ seed packets, and sowing them at home. Please let me know how many seeds you have planted and I can add them to out final tally.

Big MASSIVE thanks to Yates NZ who donated the seed packets, Mitre 10 MEGA Papanui for the potting mix, and The Butterfly Musketeers for the seed trays.

I’ll be available Christchurch wide for interactive talks and fun starting October 20178

If you’d like to help and sow the seeds at your school, please email monarchs@thebutterflymusketeers.com or ring me on 0276 452 361. I’d love to hear from you.