From First Butterfly Catches to Rainy-Day Adventures

Because of your support, children across Milwaukee are experiencing the kind of summer that stays with them forever: climbing their first tree, catching butterflies, and discovering that even when it rains, the adventure doesn’t stop.

Norah is one of those children. The Urban Ecology Center (UEC) is where she climbed her first tree and caught her first butterfly. “It sat on my finger, and I learned to pick them up carefully,” she shares with pride. When asked what she likes best about camp, her answer was immediate: “I like catching butterflies and looking at frogs. I’ve caught like 1,000 butterflies.”

This White Cabbage butterfly is one of the most common species found by campers while sweep netting (pictured below) for insects. In addition to learning how to carefully handle a butterfly, Norah is learning how all living things depend on nature. “We have to take care of nature, because it helps fish and other animals on land not die and get sick,” she explains.

Then she added with matter-of fact determination: “Also, I am allergic to pollen, but it’s worth it.” For her father Joe, the UEC offers experiences that stretch beyond what their family typically does at home. “When it rains, we don’t put on rain gear and go out into the woods, but they do that at the UEC, and it’s such a good experience for them,” he shared. That willingness to embrace the elements, to see rain as an opportunity rather than an obstacle, is exactly the kind of resilience that camp nurtures in children like Norah.

These transformative experiences are possible because of donors like you. Your support keeps camp affordable while ensuring that cost is never a barrier. This summer, over 40% of our campers will receive need-based scholarships.

Because of you, children are learning that nature is worth a little pollen, that rain makes adventures better, and that butterflies will sit on your finger if you’re gentle enough. You are creating memories, building confidence, and nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards, one careful butterfly catch at a time.

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Donate to the Urban Ecology Center to ensure nature is thriving for future generations.