mobanmarketSANTEE, CA — Butterflies have a special new space in Santee, thanks to local Girl Scouts.
Girl Scout Troop 5400, a multi-level troop of girls in kindergarten through third grade, recently planted a butterfly garden at the city’s Operations Center. The garden will help create, conserve and protect monarch habitats in the community.
“Your hard work for the city of Santee is greatly appreciated,” Councilman Dustin Trotter told the troop while presenting the girls with a certificate of recognition during the May 24 council meeting. “The city of Santee will take care of it for years to come.”
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The Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies started working on the project after one of the troop parents, who works for the city, asked if the group wanted to help plant a pollinator garden at one of Santee’s facilities.
“Our troop has always been very eco-driven,” troop leader Ronnee Brown Bugiel told Patch. “Our Girl Scouts love nature and beauty, so naturally, they’re big fans of butterflies. When presented with this opportunity, it was a great fit for our Girl Scout Troop to participate in.”
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On April 25, the girls, who all live in East County, planted 68 host plants for monarch caterpillars and nectar plants for monarch butterflies at the city’s Operations Center at 9534 Via Zapador.
According to the city, the new 161-square-foot butterfly garden will be registered as an official monarch waystation with Monarch Watch, a volunteer-based citizen science organization that tracks the migration of monarch butterflies. Monarch waystations are places that provide resources for monarch butterflies to produce successive generations and sustain their migration, according to Monarch Watch.
“The troop has been learning about the importance of native plants and how they can become drought tolerant and help pollinators, which help us,” Bugiel explained. “Helping to plant a monarch waystation helps benefit all living things and helps save our monarchs.”
The girls earned their pollinator badge by learning about the life cycle of butterflies, planting the habitat garden, and painting rocks with images of pollinators to add to the garden. The 15-member troop was recognized for its work at the recent council meeting.
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“I was excited to get the award for helping butterflies grow,” DixieRose told Patch.
“I was a little shy at the meeting when receiving the honor, but it felt good to help my community,” Vesper added.
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