OVER 280 students from AJ McLellan Elementary School participated in the seventh annual Butterfly Release Celebration on Tuesday at the Surrey Centre Cemetery.

The annual event is part of the grade one lifecycle curriculum at AJ McLellan, educating students on the cycle of life. For weeks, 11 classrooms raised butterflies from egg, to chrysalis, to adult butterfly and learned about their environmental impact before releasing them at the cemetery.

Butterfly gardens effectively attract and sustain other insects and organisms. Their larvae provide food for birds, lizards and other wildlife. In return, this wildlife keeps these gardens free from pests.

“The idea behind the event is to teach children about the cycle of life and enhance connections between the community and the cemetery,” said Yalda Asadian, City of Surrey Manager of Community Enhancement. “This event opens up conversations around life and death – an important topic we don’t often talk about with our children.”

The Surrey Centre Cemetery is hosting another butterfly release on Father’s Day weekend, on June 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to honour fathers past and present. This free event is open to the public and guests can enjoy watching the release of over 100 butterflies at the cemetery.

Visit Surrey Cemeteries online for more information.

Surrey Centre Cemetery is located at 16671 Old McLellan Road.