Welcome to the Butterfly Garden Project!
Butterflies, birds, and bees are God’s creatures…a cause for springtime hope… an indicator of a healthy ecosystem…natural signs of the transformation and new life to which God calls each of us.
They are also the answer to our prayer about how best to steward our land.
Sister Rose Marie Riley, prioress at Sacred Heart Convent, is pleased to invite your participation in the Butterfly Garden Project.
Needs include:
- Benches and pavers
- Trees
- Privacy hedge
- Pollinator friendly shrubs and perennials
Will you help us care for creation?
A prayer for creation
God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
From Pope Francis’ prayer at the end of Laudato Si', 2015.
About the photo: Our sisters enjoy completing jigsaw puzzles. It gives them an opportunity to enjoy one another's company while they assemble the puzzle, and the joy of completing a project. From left: Sisters Helen Becker, Catherine Mary Currie, Anne Lawrence Buchmiller, Georgiana Stubner, and Anita Tapocik show off a recently completed butterfly puzzle.
A landscaper's vision of what our garden might look like. No details are finalized.
What's the impact of our Butterfly Garden?
Watch for these upcoming stories about the impact of your gift to the garden!
Week one|Sustainability: Tony Rothering, biology professor and bird-bander, Lincolnland Community College
Week two|Spirituality: Sister Rose Marie Riley, OP, prioress, Sacred Heart Convent
Week three| Social-wellbeing: How urban green spaces impact our neighborhoods
Week four|Solace: Two options for remembering a loved one at the Butterfly Garden
Butterfly Garden 3-year plan
2025
- Planning and research. Check!
- Tree planting. 25 trees added to provide an overstory for the bushes and flowers to come.
- Pavers to create accessibility and add a prayerful focal point. Donors can choose to remember a loved one with a memorial paver.
- Swales and berms. Soil excavated in the tree planting will help prevent water and soil from running off the land.
2026
- Meandering pathway. An eco-friendly mulch trail to encourage wandering and contemplation
- Pollinator beds. Will attract the beneficial insects that produce beauty and nourishment.
- Focal point. We’ll add welcoming entrance using architectural elements, perhaps a sculpture, pergola, and benches.
2027
- Refining the garden through plantings and design.
- Educational components for sisters, students, and guests.
Giving levels for every budget:
- $400 will put a memorial name on a bench.
- $300 allows you to engrave a paver in the sustainable walkway.
- $100 plants a privacy hedge along Washington Street.
- $35 purchases a pollinator attracting shrub or a flat of perennial flowers.
