Atala butterfly on a Sweet Almond Bush spotted in the Sunrise Senior Center Butterfly Garden this Month.

Officially June 19th through 25th is National Pollinator Week, but we are celebrating pollinators all month long. And now is a great time to create a pollinator-friendly yard or garden by planting with purpose!

• Plant native and Florida-friendly plants
• Reduce the use of pesticides
• Certify your yard as a NWF Wildlife Habitat
• Enjoy the butterflies!

Sunrise Be A Butterfly Hero

Sunrise Sustainability Officer, Carrie Kashar, takes a selfie with workshop attendees.

Sunrise Celebrates Pollinator Month by Hosting Gardening For Wildlife Workshop

There was a full house of over 50 attendees at the annual Sunrise Gardening For Wildlife Workshop. This year's workshop was held on Saturday, June 10, at the Sunrise Senior Center. Participants learned about the City's efforts in achieving the Community Wildlife Habitat™ designation with our Be A Butterfly Hero Program, and learned how to attract and support butterflies and birds by planting the right plants in their yards. Six participants submitted applications to certify their yard through NWF that day, and attendees got to take home plants for a starter butterfly garden which included native species like Firebush, Corkystem passion vine, and Blue Mistflower.

City of Sunrise Good and Green hosts the workshop each year, typically in June, to help meet the annual re-certification requirements of a Community Wildlife Habitat™.

Sunrise NWF Scorecard

Fun Pollinator Activities

• Pollinator Crossword Puzzle [PDF] from the Pollinator Partnership
• USDN Pollinator Activity Booklet [PDF]
• Find out what food depends on pollinators and try out some recipes from the Pollinator Friendly Cookbook (you can download for free from the Pollinator Partnership website)

50 Years of Gardening For Wildlife

National Wildlife Federation (NWF) studies the impact that their program has had over the past 50 years.

Private residential property makes up approximately one-third of the urban landscape and studies show that the impact of wildlife gardening is substantial.

Creating wildlife-friendly habitats not only help the environment but they can bring a lot of fun and enjoyment. No matter the size, designate some part of your yard or space for wildlife:

• Start small with A Simple Habitat [PDF] for a container-sized garden
• Something a little larger? Seed a 6' x 3' area to create a Pollinator Wildflower Meadow [PDF]
• If you have some yard space, put in a medium-sized butterfly garden 15' by 8' Sample Garden Layout Design [PDF]
• Go big by planting some trees and shrubs for the birds Native Plants to Attract Birds [PDF]

Read more from NWF on the Impact of Wildlife Gardens

Stop by the Sunrise Dan Pearl Library's Be A Butterfly Hero kiosk to take home a seed packet, magazine, and check out some great reads like "Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife" by Naturalist David Mizejewski.