I started the butterfly nursery to give my students a much-need opportunity to explore environmental values in a natural environment. The butterfly nursery began as a project specific to my students, but it has grown into a school-wide project. I use it as a laboratory for my science classes, where students observe the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. After witnessing the monarch butterflys metamorphosis firsthand students were able to illustrate the insects life cycle with more detail. Marie, a 16-year-old student in my class, read about the life cycle of insects in a classroom textbook.