Support BioWorks Butterfly Garden

You can help the BioWorks Butterfly Garden and learn all about butterflies in the process. Become a volunteer! Please contact kristeng@mosi.org for more information or with interest concerning these positions.

Volunteering in the Gardens

Volunteering in the gardens is an individual experience for each of our volunteers. Garden staff will work directly with volunteers to provide training and guidance in garden, lab and guest interaction tasks. Each volunteer experience will try to meet the needs and interests of our volunteers while still accomplishing tasks necessary to the gardens. Happy volunteers make for a happy garden. Please tell us in which areas of the garden you are interested and even if you like to work with small groups or by yourself. We will try to tailor the volunteer experience to you. The following basic outlines may help a volunteer to decide where their interests may lie: 

Volunteer Butterfly Assistants:

Butterfly assistants will be occupied with rearing larvae, pinning chrysalises, lab cleaning, lab maintenance, data recording, and helping to maintain a healthy population of butterflies. Insect collection will require some out-of-doors work, especially in summer months to collect butterflies and host plants used within the rearing lab. 

Volunteer Garden Assistants:

Garden assistants will be occupied with tasks of grounds keeping, plant maintenance, weeding, potting, watering and some cleaning tasks such as floor sweeping and cleaning of signage. Garden assistants will work mostly outside, including in summer and winter months. 

Volunteer Presenters:

Presenters will be occupied with answering questions and providing information on garden topics of water conservation, horticulture, and butterflies. Some light cleaning duties such as sweeping floors or wiping tables and signs may be requested during slow periods.

 

Start by downloading the MOSI Volunteer Application. 

Links:

Click here to read more about volunteering in the gardens from the perspective of a volunteer

Check out the BioWorks Butterfly Garden blog and see what we are up to around the gardens. 

For new volunteers and volunteer groups: 

Attire: Garden casual- Please wear jeans or sturdy pants, closed toed shoes and t-shirts or other sturdy shirts that can get dirty. Bringing along hats, sunscreen and water bottles are highly encouraged. Please avoid clothing or hats with slogans involving alcohol, drugs or anything that isn't family friendly. If you have a pair of garden gloves please bring them.  

Travel and parking:

MOSI can be reached in a number of ways for our volunteers:

On foot from USF via the Fowler Ave pedestrian bridge

On the Bull Runner     

On the #6 Hartline bus

Or by car.

Those volunteers arriving in cars are encouraged to car-pool. Parking tokens will be provided for volunteers so that they do not have to pay to park.