cont'd
Fun fact:
Only the queens survive winter. When spring returns, we start new colonies all on our own — from scratch! 🌸
So if you find me resting late in the season, please leave me there. I’ve chosen that spot with care.

#BumblebeeQueen #SaveTheBees #LeaveTheLeaves #PollinatorFriendly 🐝

cont'd
Please don’t:
❌ Burn leaves or garden waste
❌ Over-clean your yard
❌ Disturb compost heaps — we often rest there!

cont'd
ALL I NEEDED WAS ONE WINTER:
A single dry stem.
Three months of peace.
Then I would’ve flown in May.
You saw garden waste.
I was a butterfly waiting for my wings. 🦋💔

#ButterflyProtection #AutumnGarden #LeaveTheStems #InsectConservation #Biodiversity #Butterflies #WildGarden #NatureProtection

cont'd
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN INSTEAD:
✓ Leave perennials standing until April
✓ Dry stems = winter hotels for life
✓ Let compost rest from October to March
✓ “Messiness” = survival

cont'd
THE TRAGIC IRONY:
You plant “bee-friendly” flowers in spring—
but kill the butterflies in autumn.

cont'd
WHAT DIED INSIDE ME:
Not just me.
My wings that never flew.
The flowers I never pollinated.
The joy you never saw.

cont'd
NOVEMBER = MONTH OF DEATH FOR US:
💔 You cut back all the perennials
💔 You discard the “dead” stems (we live inside them!)
💔 You turn the compost (we’re pupating there!)
💔 A “tidy” garden = zero butterflies next year

cont'd
WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW:
Butterfly chrysalises overwinter inside dry plant stems
Autumn gardening = generations wiped out
Every cut plant = a potential chrysalis destroyed
Compost piles = mass graves for overwintering insects

cont'd
MY STORY:
I was a caterpillar in August.
Found the perfect dry stem in October.
Cocooned myself for the winter.
Dreamed of wings in spring.
Then you came with your pruning shears.