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Love Butterflies?
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Stephanie Holbrook, top left, with her mother, son, niece and nephew, sit among the California native wildflowers that attract butterflies. Courtesy photo
It’s only natural that California native and Fallbrook resident Stephanie Holbrook is encouraging people statewide to grow California native plants. The plants are a key part of Wings of Change’s goal of seeing more butterflies out and about.
Yes, butterflies are being threatened, and scientists have the proof, Holbrook said. The increased number of wildfires in the state, as well as pollution, is an issue. The state’s weather is also part of the problem. Butterflies love the weather, but so do people, who need homes and places to shop which leads to developers taking more land to build homes.
“We are trying to bring the butterflies back to our world by providing the host plants for their caterpillars,” Holbrook said.
Through Wings of Change, Holbrook works to educate people about the importance of growing native plants and showing them how they can be part of the solution.
The organization reintroduces non-invasive, native plant species to the local environment. These native plants improve butterfly and bee migration, increase pollinators and lower water usage, all the while making a beautiful environment for homes and town.
“We are a project dedicated to improving our environment,” Holbrook said. “Through our use of plants, we are improving landscapes and ecosystems to improve butterfly migration and make our earth a cleaner, greener place.”
Native species increase butterfly and moth habitats, pollinator migrations and non-invasive plant species that do not harm our environments, she said.
Holbrook is a regular at the farmers market on Main Street on Saturdays, sharing simple steps to impact the environment. Planting yards or fields with native plants helps attract butterflies and moths, giving them the food and shelter necessary for continuing their life cycles.
Wings of Change has lots of scatter seeds available for sale at the farmers market, and online at www.wingsofchange.us. It’s a good time to plant sunflowers, California poppies, lupines, farewell to spring or its all-inclusive California native mix.
The county is home to 180 varieties of butterflies and moths, and they are attracted to different plants and trees.
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This monarch was born at Stephanie Holbrook’s home.
The Western Swallowtail is commonly seen in the local area. Wings of Change encourages residents to scatter native plant seeds such as poppies to support the butterfly population.
Courtesy photo Courtesy photo
Wings of Change was started in 2020 by Holbrook, who has experience working in nurseries.
Holbrook said she developed a love for flowers, birds and butterflies from her grandmother, who would take her to the flower markets at the shipyards. It led her to taking her first job working in a garden department, leading to a 20-year career in nursery retail.
As her family grew, Holbrook stepped away from her career in retail management and opened her local business, Go To Crew, to allow her the flexibility to be a home-school mother for 12 years.
Always wanting to give back to the community, Holbrook has served with in the local Boy Scout Troop, her church and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Holbrook created a butterfly garden at the local school which is where the idea for Wings of Change was born.
Wings of Change promotes backyard butterfly gardens, butterfly conservation education and even more community involvement. Wings of Change is an ambassador for the local food pantry, a volunteer with the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, and a partner with Save Our Forest.
Holbrook said Wings of Change has tried to be inclusionary with local nurseries and the National FFA Organization chapter at Fallbrook High School to obtain a supply of native plants. She also started a greenhouse to grow many of the butterfly host plants.
In addition to California native butterflies, many others migrate, including the Mourning Cloak, which travels from Alaska to Venezuela. Other popular butterflies are the Painted Lady, Western Monarch, Cabbage White and Common Buckeye.
Some of the more common native plants are the milkweed, red willow, hackberry and lupines.
Holbrook conducts monthly workshops at the Fallbrook Community Garden to teach about all things butterflies. For more information go to www.wingsofchange.us.
