A Breath of Fresh Air for Colorado's Seniors

It may be a small gift, but the project it supports is humble, and its size matches the creatures its recipient aims to nurture. The $500 donated last month by Colorado’s Broomfield Community Foundation will help the Butterfly Pavilion create a butterfly garden at a senior living facility near Denver. The effort is part of the Pavilion's ongoing program to bring the natural and contemplative benefits of butterfly gardens to the area's seniors.

These gardens are only for those who can properly appreciate them; senior centers in the Denver Metro area must apply for a spot in the program. The Butterfly Pavilion decides on recipients based on the residents’ level of involvement and enthusiasm and the facility’s fitness for a garden in terms of irrigation, space, sunlight, soil quality and other factors.

Many of the seniors enjoy helping with the garden, whether that means digging holes, scattering wildflower seeds or watering the plants. Others prefer chatting with the Pavilion staff to learn about the project or reminisce about their own forays into gardening.

Before installing the garden, facility residents get the benefit of an education program by Pavilion representatives, who teach participants about butterfly habitats and habits. The seniors learn how to identify butterflies native to Colorado, such as the Western Two-Tailed Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Painted Lady, Monarch and Fritillary. The gardens they plant are heavy on the colorful, fragrant perennials that attract these beautiful creatures, namely purple coneflower, Rocky Mountain beardtongue, brown-eyed Susan and bee balm.

Activity directors from many of the senior facilities involved in the program report that the gardens have increased the time seniors spend outdoors. Some residents enjoy bringing their families to the garden to show them the flowers or look for butterflies.

For a program operating on the basic principal that nature brings deep satisfaction, a small gift can turn into a much larger one with the flutter of a few small wings.