On a sunny day in June there was a flutter of colour at Transfer Beach when 30 Painted Lady butterflies were released into the native plant beds nestled between the Kinsmen Hut and the amphitheatre.
The release on June 9 capped off months of community-led environmental and educational efforts. In October 2024, two demonstration beds — dubbed the Bird Shrubbery and the Butterfly Meadow — were planted with the help of 15 volunteers and the Ladysmith Parks Operations crew. The project, supported by BC Hydro, features more than 400 plants and bulbs along with thousands of native plant seeds.
“These beds are demonstrations of what people can grow in their sunny yards or public spaces to nurture the resilience and biodiversity in our community,” said Nikki Toxopeus, a member of the Friends of Holland Creek, the group that cares for the beds.
Volunteer Kathryn Currie, a retired teacher with experience in butterfly and pollinator gardens, raised the butterflies from chrysalides for the release.
“She approached Friends of Holland Creek, who care for the beds, and asked if they would be interested in adding butterflies to the garden,” said Toxopeus. “We checked that this was ecologically sound and said, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’”
The event was made even more special by the involvement of local students. Grade 5 and 6 classes from Ladysmith Intermediate School painted the names of native meadow plants on rocks in both English and Hul’q’umi’num’. Before the release, they gathered in the Kinsmen Hut to hear Currie share the story of the butterflies.
“She explained how she and her grandchild raised them from chrysalis stage and what they need to survive and be able to migrate south for winter,” said Toxopeus.
Painted Ladies are one of about 60 butterfly species found on Vancouver Island. Similar to Monarchs, they can migrate long distances, sometimes flying up to 160 kilometres in a day.
As the cages opened, “the first one went straight for the lawn clover, some soared above the oaks and maples, some went for the meadow flowers, and one settled on a T-shirt of a nearby student,” said Toxopeus.
Following the release, the painted rocks were laid beside the meadow to help identify the plants. The students then took part in a cultural learning session led by their Hul’q’umi’num’ teacher, Cam Parks.
“Cam Parks introduced everyone to the Hul’q’umi’num’ word for butterflies — skwulwexe — and talked about the cultural uses of plants in and around the meadow,” said Toxopeus. “He highlighted sthxelum (sword ferns), qaanlhp (arbutus), and q’umun’ulhp (maple), sharing how they are used and respected.”
“We could not cover all the plants, as there are over 70 native species in the beds and we do not have many of their Hul’q’umi’num’ names," said Toxopeus. "But we started to recognize and name some, and to understand what they need and how they relate to us and others.”
Toxopeus described a rich web of life already forming in the garden. “There was a brown creeper bird working its way up the oak tree, a garter snake that slid off under the entire-leaved gumweed and yarrow, and bees busy on the bare ground between the meadow grasses.”
The event brought together ecology, language and community and invited the next generation to take part in stewardship and storytelling.
Curious about butterflies? Check out the Vancouver Island Butterflies website and this fun, kid-friendly video.
