Butterfly Project Takes Flight at Benedictine Garrison
The newly hatched Monarch butterfly climbs gingerly on the hand of seven-year-old Madden Fuentes. Madden lifts it up slowly, and the butterfly takes flight into the sky. The residents of Benedictine Living Community-Garrison respond with cheers and applause as they watch the Monarch embark on a new adventure.
Madden, known as the “Leader of the Butterfly Brigade,” became interested in butterflies around age 3. He and other family members, including his aunt, uncle, sister and grandparents, began observing them outdoors and were fascinated by their metamorphosis, the process in which a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Madden’s grandmother planted milkweed in her garden to provide a welcome habitat. Later, Madden and his family built a butterfly house full of milkweed so they could observe the caterpillars up close and better understand this amazing part of nature.
Madden’s aunt and uncle, Ivy and Marcus Bicknese, who work at senior care community Benedictine Garrison, discovered that one of their new residents, Georgean Gullickson, also had a love of butterflies. A former elementary school teacher in Minot for 37 years, she shared her knowledge of butterflies with her students every year. In 1952, Georgean won an Entomology Award for a butterfly display she made. A scrapbook of her life developed by her family has a Monarch butterfly on the cover, as does her favorite pillow.
Always looking for ways to enrich the lives of Benedictine’s residents, Ivy and Marcus proposed that a Monarch butterfly metamorphosis display be developed for residents, family members and staff to enjoy. Ivy donated her butterfly house. Madden, then a second grader at Underwood Elementary, set up the display along with his family members. They also created an informational board with pictures and descriptions of the metamorphosis process.
Members of the “Butterfly Brigade” with their Monarch butterfly display at Benedictine Garrison. Pictured from left to right: Gracie Fuentes, Dave Bicknese, Judy Bicknese, Madden Fuentes, Ivy Bicknese, and Marcus Bicknese
Soon four caterpillars were the newest residents at Benedictine Garrison. A calendar was created to track when the caterpillars were brought in, went into the chrysalis stage, hatched as butterflies, and finally released outdoors. Madden and his family even provided a magnifying glass so residents could easily see and observe the caterpillars in their journey.
Visiting the display regularly was Georgean. She keenly studied the information and smiled with delight as she watched one of the hatchlings emerge as a butterfly. This moment was shared on Benedictine Garrison’s Facebook page. A reply was posted by Ashley Evanoff of Minot, who shared, “Mrs. Gullickson was my 1st grade teacher. She started my love of Monarchs with milkweed and a caterpillar in a jar every summer. Now, I have a milkweed garden and share the Monarch love with my sons. I’m currently waiting on four more to hatch.”
“Georgean inspired many with her love of Monarch butterflies. We were so happy that we could give this back to her and our other residents,” said Deb Foss, life enrichment director at Benedictine Garrison. “It’s wonderful to see that interest in the Monarchs is being passed down to younger generations.”
All of the butterflies were successfully hatched and released outdoors. In reflecting on the project, Madden and his family expressed a sense of satisfaction in sharing their love of Monarchs and seeing the joy it brought others. They discussed how important Monarch butterflies are to our ecosystem and that they are becoming endangered.
“Everybody should plant milkweed and wildflowers for the butterflies. The flowers attract the butterflies, and the milkweed is where they lay their eggs,” explains Ivy.
“We love to offer activities like this that bring young and old together, and provide such enjoyment for everyone involved. We look forward to continuing the project again next summer,” Foss added.