The Butterflyway Project

Wild pollinators such as butterflies and bees are crucial to human survival. Climate change, land development and pesticide use threaten their survival — and ours. The Butterflyway Project helps people create pollinator habitat in their neighbourhoods, one garden at a time.

About the Butterflyway Project

The Butterflyway Project is a citizen-led movement growing networks of habitat for bees and butterflies across Canada.

Launched by the David Suzuki Foundation in 2017 — alongside its Quebec sister program, L’effet Papillon — the project began in five cities and has since grown into a national network of volunteers creating habitat in yards, school grounds, boulevards and parks. From inception to 2025, the foundation trained 1,850 Butterflyway Rangers in hundreds of communities throughout Canada. Rangers work with neighbours and local partners to plant native wildflowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. When 12 or more habitat gardens are established in close proximity, a new Butterflyway is established.

Butterflyway impact to date (as of 2025):

• 132,000+ native wildflowers and grasses planted
• 3,600+ trees and shrubs planted
• 7,600+ habitat gardens established
• 157 official Butterflyways established

The Butterflyway Project is rooted in the award-winning Homegrown National Park Project (2013–2015), which created butterfly-friendly corridors in Toronto neighbourhoods. The project and various Rangers have received numerous local and national accolades and awards, including the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Nature Inspiration Award.

Interest in the project continues to be strong, with hundreds of Canadians applying to become Butterflyway Rangers each year. Rangers receive training, resources and ongoing support, and become part of a national network of people rewilding the places they live.

You can learn more about the Ranger role below, and explore stories from Rangers throughout the country in our Butterflyway Diaries video series.

The David Suzuki Foundation is committed to helping people rewild their neighbourhoods. Explore our curated list of pollinator and native plant gardening resources to get started or go deeper.

Become a Butterflyway Ranger

Butterflyway Ranger recruitment for 2026 opens February 11th.

Butterflyway Rangers are volunteers who lead local efforts to create pollinator habitat and bring people together around nature-based action. Rangers organize small teams, support garden projects and help establish a Butterflyways in their communities.

Rangers are community builders, educators and habitat creators. They don’t need to be gardening experts — just people who care, are willing to learn and are excited to work with others.

What Rangers do

• Organize local teams to plant pollinator habitat
• Help establish habitat gardens in their community – with the goal of establishing 12 gardens; i.e., a Butterflyway
• Host or participate in community events such as plant swaps, workshops and garden tours
• Share knowledge and inspiration with neighbours and local partners

What Rangers receive

• Online training from David Suzuki Foundation staff and guest experts
• Access to online toolkits, resources and seasonal guidance
• Free Ranger T-shirt and Butterflyway garden signs
• Connection to a national network of Rangers through webinars, online meetups and regional gatherings

Timeline

• Ranger recruitment typically opens in February each year
• Training and onboarding begin in early spring
• Planting and community activity take place throughout the growing season

The time commitment varies from person to person and project to project, but most Rangers spend about 8 hours per month during their first growing season. Many Rangers come back year after year, and there’s no pressure to establish a Butterflyway right away — life happens. The project is flexible and Rangers are encouraged to play to their strengths and interests, whether that’s planting, organizing, storytelling or bringing people together.

To apply to become a Butterflyway Ranger, fill out the form below. To stay informed about recruitment timelines, sign up for the David Suzuki Foundation e-newsletter and follow the DSF on social media.