A school butterfly garden can be as simple a project as a few containers of butterfly-nourishing plants on the windowsill, or as ambitious as a native wildflower meadow. Before jumping in, it helps to understand what butterflies need at different life stages. In five to ten days, the egg hatches and the tiny caterpillar eats the host plant, shedding its skin four to six times as it grows in size and weight. After two to four weeks, it attaches itself to a twig or other object and transforms into a pupa or chrysalis.
Most butterflies have two generations a year in the North, and more in the South.
Before researching butterflies and their needs, invite your students to do some sleuthing. Investigate the school grounds and neighborhood to discover what types of plants seem to attract butterflies. Then have students check with Internet resources and local nurseries or Master Gardeners about butterflies likely to frequent your area, and the plants they prefer. The plants upon which butterfly larvae dine are typically weeds, wildflowers, shrubs, or trees native to the area. Some species will lay eggs on only one type of host plant, while others are less picky.