Butterfly Garden Dedication

November 17 , 2006

Wilton Manors Elementary collaborated with Todd Henry to design a butterfly garden to replace the one damaged during hurricane Rita. With the help of the School Board, Searle Brothers Nursury, Kids Ecology Corps, Wilton Manors Community Affairs Advisory Board, and others, the school was able to create a beautiful butterfly sanctuary.

The Butterfly Garden was dedicated on November 17, 2006 to with a crowd of 200 students, faculty and community members. Many special guests joined us for this terrific event. Roxanne Paul from the National Wildlife Foundation in Washington D.C., Emily Lagerquist fro Kids Ecology Corps., and Roy Rogers all shared words of advice and encouragement with the students. Below, you will find a beautiful poem written by our Poetry Club Sponsor, as well as photos of this wonderful event.

Hooked on Nature

By Inez E. Clarke

I am hooked on nature and it is hooked on me,
So many things make the flowers, the trees and me fulfilled, like the birds.

There is fulfillment in the sunrise, the sunset and the sea,
The birth of a child, a puppy or lamb, even the buzzing of a bumblebee.

Let’s enjoy the beaches and the rivers and try to keep them clean,
Stop destroying the beautiful trees and shrubs with modern high-powered                                                                                                                       machines.

Trees make forests so that animals can enjoy their habitat,
We want to lessen the extinction of our rare and beautiful cats.

If we continue to destroy our trees, food will be short and we may die,
Then our future will become bleak and that surely is no lie.

Watch the young calves frolic in the grasslands,
Pick ripe wild berries with bare hands.

Take time to enjoy the scenery of the green saw grass,
Observe the crocodiles swim, as you ride the boats and pass.

Listen to the song of a bird, that touches every heart,
Savor the taste of honey, made from bees, quart by quart.

Oh! The feel of a little kitten rubbing its fur against your feet,
Inhale the scent of night jasmine as you walk slowly down the street.

Nature will always be here to stay, enjoy and cherish it each day,
And always be determined to play your part, no matter come what may.

So just get hooked on nature it is always inviting you,
Don’t ever forget, if it’s there for me, it will be there for you too.