Target: Nick Baker, Vice-President of Butterfly Conservation
Goal: Applaud education campaign for connecting primary school children with nature while saving butterflies and moths.
Naturalist Nick Baker is a television presenter on Children’s British Broadcasting Corporation’s The Really Wild Show and is also the Vice-president of the Dorset, England wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation. Butterfly Conservation has the noble mission of conserving moths, butterflies, and the environment. Many butterflies and moths are in decline because of habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution. To increase positive action to protect butterflies and moths and to enrich the lives of children by connecting them with nature, Baker has started “Munching Caterpillars,” a project that engages children with conservation.
In addition to their obvious aesthetic value as symbols of freedom, beauty, peace, and environmental consciousness, butterflies and moths have tremendous ecosystem value as pollinators, important elements in the food chain, and indicators of environmental health. They also have scientific value as an important group of model organisms used in biological research and research on climate change. Butterfly Conservation’s “Munching Caterpillars” campaign utilizes the educational value of butterflies and moths in order to teach children about the natural world.
The project gives children the opportunity to view live specimens of butterflies and moths up close and teaches them about the fascinating life cycles of these animals, their unique adaptations, and their ecology. Children plant “caterpillar munch boxes” and “butterfly fuel stations” in their school yards, gardens, and in community spaces, in addition to growing plants themselves to provide food to caterpillars and nectar to butterflies and moths. Thank Nick Baker and Butterfly Conservation for providing these unique workshops that instill in young children the importance of conserving biodiversity.
Dear Nick Baker, Vice-President of Butterfly Conservation
I would like to congratulate your organization for promoting the conservation of butterflies and moths and their ecosystems through education. The inspiring project “Munching Caterpillars” encourages children to explore practical conservation actions in order to save biodiversity. In addition to teaching children to be environmentally conscious and compassionate to wildlife, these unique workshops also help to reconnect young children with nature while spending time outdoors, which research suggests is crucial for their emotional and physical health.
Hands-on activities, including growing plants and setting up food boxes for caterpillars, moths, and butterflies, captures the focus of children and makes them feel more connected to wildlife. Seeing that their actions matter will convince children to make positive choices in order to protect the natural world. Providing children with the opportunities to observe live specimens of butterflies and moths and to learn about their life cycles and adaptations has the potential to engage more young minds in scientific disciplines. Thank you for creating this amazing program that teaches children to care for living things and the environment.
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: thekrankis via Flickr