Delmanor Northtown Welcomes Another Season of Monarch Butterflies

The residents of Delmanor Northtown have their very own Monarch Butterfly hatchery in the garden shed of the retirement community for everyone to obseve and enjoy.

The caterpillar stage

One of the Delmanor Northtown dedicated staff, Tracy - also known as "the butterfly lady", collected milkweed leaves with butterfly eggs on them from meadows surrounding her home and brought them to Delmanor Northown for the seniors to observe the transformation from eggs to caterpillars to chrysalis and eventually into beautiful Monarch butterflies that the residents then released into the world.

Reinie admires the newly hatched Monarch butterflies and chrysalises

The entire process of change from a caterpillar to a Monarch takes 2-3 weeks.  At Delmanor Northown the process is ongoing all summer long with caterpillars, chrysalis and butterflies at different stages at all times, so there is always something to see!

Etta releases one of the first Monarchs of the season

For so many residents, the butterfly hatchery has been therapeutic, for watching new life brings great joy.  The hatchery has also been intriguing to many of the seniors who have never had the opportunity to see Monarch butterflies up close and intimate before.

Not a day goes by that the garden shed isn't a flurrry of activity while the seniors keenly await the arrival of new butterflies as they break free from their chrysalises.  The retirement community is very proud to say that they have successfully hatched 68 Monarchs so far this year with plenty more to come!

A Monarch butterfly drying its wings soon after hatching

The summer of 2012 marks the third year that the residents of Delmanor Northtown have been hatching butterflies.  The special friendships and bonds that have been formed between those that have shared the butterfly hatching experience together has been outstanding.

The residents will continue to enoy watching the blutterflies flourish this summer and for many summers to come!

For more information about Delmanor Northtown or to arrange a tour of the property, please contact Laurie Fortin, Marketing & Community Relations Manager at (416) 225-9146 or visit them online at delmanor.com