Click on the images below to learn more!

Project Area

Connecting existing urban habitat by helping gardeners plant native plants in private and community gardens, sidewalk medians and balconies.

Resources and events

Past events and opportunities

Plant and butterfly guides

Learn more about swallowtail butterflies and their host plants with these guides

Sign Up

Read up on the participation types below and click on the yellow sign up button to join!
There are no requirements on your part. You will simply receive periodic emails informing you of events and opportunities in Toronto.

Sign Up

Participate

There are a number of ways to participate in Toronto, and everyone is welcome! You can sign up as one (or more) of the following:

  • Individual participants receive regular communications about events, plant sales and giveaways, and other fun opportunities. As an individual participant, your interest might be in improving your garden and learning more about native plants and pollinators. There are no commitments and you can choose to participate as little or as much as you want.
  • Block Ambassadors enjoy the same opportunities as individual participants, but they also work together to share ideas and resources, and identify opportunities to increase habitat and engagement. There are no requirements to becoming a Block Ambassador other than being enthusiastic and collaborative. And there are perks: Block Ambassadors get first dibs on special opportunities like the seed tray kits, guided hikes through restored prairies and the Pollinator Steward Certification training.
  • Schools are welcome to join Project Swallowtail to access school garden resources, including plants and knowledgeable volunteers.
  • Community groups are welcome to join Project Swallowtail to create new collaborations across organizations and to access resources and plants for gardens.

  • Seed Sitters grow native plants from seeds, learning about their incredible life cycles and pollinator relationships along the way, and helping create lush habitat as a result! Click here for more information on the Seed Sitters Club.

Go to Project Swallowtail's new webpage for more information or click on the yellow 'Sign Up' button above to join the Project Swallowtail community!

Donate to Support Project Swallowtail

Through the generous support of the Keenan Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Project Swallowtail has built a community of over 2500 habitat growers across Toronto and beyond. In four years we were able to provide 20,000+ native plants at subsidized or for free and built partnerships with the City of Toronto, EcoSpark, Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), Sorauren Farmers Market, Etobicoke Farmers Market, Bloor-Borden Farmers Market, St. Anne's Anglican Church, and countless others. The incredible Steering Committee continues to grow Project Swallowtail's ability to advocate for, and help build more inclusive habitats for all.

If you are able, consider donating to Project Swallowtail through CanadaHelps for the continued work of native habitat creation for people, pollinators, and the planet.

Photo: Eastern tiger swallowtail, Creative Commons courtesy Laura Pontiggia (Flickr)

Who is involved?

Project Swallowtail is a collaborative effort that involves residents, neighbourhoods and community groups as well as a variety of individuals and organizations including Pollinator Partnership Canada, WWF-Canada, the Horticultural Societies of Parkdale and Toronto, the David Suzuki Foundation, the High Park Stewards, the North American Native Plant Society, as well as native plant experts Lorraine Johnson, Colleen Cirillo and Pete Ewins.


Media

Project Swallowtail and our joint campaign with LEAF - Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests was featured in BlogTO.

Listen to steering committee member and Block Ambassador Pete Ewins chat about habitat renewal and Project Swallowtail on the Public Works podcast.

Project Swallowtail is made possible thanks to