Houses delight butterflies, children

Butterflies have a special home in Red Wing, Minnesota, because for the past 15 years, the Red Wing Golden K members and Burnside Elementary School third-graders have been building houses for the fluttering insects.

The project involves many people, beginning with a group of special education students who cut and drill the components of the houses. Kiwanians take those components to the elementary school for assembly.

“As a rule, we will have at least two groups of 30 students along with 12 to 15 members of our Golden K group in the class,” says club member Roger Burkel. “Each Kiwanian works with two or three students in assembling the butterfly house.”

The students are encouraged to take the houses home to paint and hang in a garden where butterflies congregate.

“I think most of us agree the project is not as much to house butterflies as it is to see our students and the Golden K’ers working side by side,” Roger says.

Even still, the houses shelter many butterflies from season to season, keeping them safe from birds and other natural predators.