1. The Empty Patch
Behind Lily's house was a patch of soil where nothing grew.
"If I plant flowers," said Lily, "maybe the butterflies will come home."
Butterflies drink a sweet liquid called nectar, and flowers give it away for free.
In return, butterflies carry pollen from flower to flower.
2. Four Shapes of One Life
A tiny egg was hiding under a leaf, no bigger than a grain of sand.
It became a hungry caterpillar that ate and ate and ate.
Then it built a chrysalis and waited, very still, for many days.
At last a butterfly opened its wings — the same creature, in a brand new shape.
This four-step change is called metamorphosis.
3. The Haven Grows
Word travelled on the wind, and butterflies arrived from everywhere.
Lily planted milkweed for monarchs and left a shallow puddle for drinking.
Pollinators help make one out of every three bites of food we eat.
"This is our haven now," Lily whispered, "and I will protect it."