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Small Town Shopping Center Gets Certified Monarch Garden09-17-15 | News

Small Town Shopping Center Gets
Certified Monarch Garden
Hopes to Draw Shoppers and Increase Their Awareness to Butterflies' Importance

A Certified Monarch Garden like this one in Monterey, Calif., promotes conservation of butterflies and their habitat, and educates the public about the importance of these pollinators.

The North American Butterfly Association recently recognized Gachina Landscape Management of Menlo Park, Calif., for creating an official Certified Monarch Garden at Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey, Calif., by providing essential elements needed by monarchs – natural food sources, clean water, cover, and places and food for the butterflies' larvae.

A butterfly habitat is not just important because butterflies are the second, after bees, most vital pollinator, but also because it includes the use of native plants, which are hardier and require less resources to survive; chemical applications are avoided to protect larvae and adults; and birds and beneficial insects such as lady bugs and praying mantis can be attracted to the same habitats.

Formed in 1993, the NABA, a not-for-profit membership organization, is the major North American organization promoting conservation of butterflies and their habitat by educating the public about the importance of them.

"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 shoppers and their families interest 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 https://nababutterfly.com/.