Monday January 19, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 11:23 am PT]
News analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Victoria Butterfly Gardens and PaRx are partnering to expand access to nature-based healing.
PaRx is a BC Parks Foundation initiative that ‘prescribes’ time in nature.
BC Parks Foundation says PaRx helps nearly 20,000 registered healthcare providers across Canada prescribe time in nature to support physical and mental health. It’s unclear why people would need a ‘prescription’ to spend time in nature.
The business of nature:
According to a news release today from the BC Parks Foundation, research shows that even a few hours outdoors weekly improves wellbeing. However, anyone who goes into nature after a long stressful day or week knows this already.
PaRx prescribers have collectively issued an estimated 1.5 million nature prescriptions to date, says BC Parks Foundation today.
Time outdoors:
“When we make nature easier to access, we begin to shift how people think about health,” says Jennie McCaffrey, Vice President, Health & Education at BC Parks Foundation.
“Time outdoors can be as impactful to our well-being as physical activity and nutrition. When families explore places like Victoria Butterfly Gardens together, we don’t always know where that experience will lead, but we do know those moments can create lasting ripple effects across individuals, families, whole communities, and the planet,” says McCaffrey.
Healing impact at Victoria Butterfly Gardens:
For Travis Budgeon, Lead Horticulturalist at Victoria Butterfly Gardens, the healing impact of the Gardens is deeply personal. Navigating a personal journey with clinical depression, Travis describes nature as an essential companion to holistic care.
“Nature has a way of pulling you back to ground level,” Travis says. “It reminds you that change is constant, that growth doesn’t follow rigid rules, and that it often happens quietly, over time.”
Victoria Butterfly Gardens has long built its business and reputation within the south Vancouver Island tourism sector. This is a shift into a new or additional direction fo r all good reasons but including that tourism has likely plateaued (especially in non-peak tourism seasons).
Half-price admission:
Starting today January 19, PaRx prescription holders visiting Victoria Butterfly Gardens can access two admission offers:
- 50% off admission for one PaRx prescription holder, or
- “buy one, get one free” for a PaRx holder and a guest.
The indoor creatures:
Open year-round, the 11,000-square-foot tropical rainforest at Victoria Butterfly Gardens in Brentwood Bay hosts over 75 butterfly species — with 1,000 individual creatures emerging weekly — alongside a variety of tropical plants and rescued animals in an accessible, climate-controlled environment.
The butterfly species on site include Atlas Moth, Brown Clipper, Monarch, Pink Cattleheart, Helicon, Plain Tiger, Lacewing, Green Moss Peacock, Zebra and more.
Other creatures at Victoria Butterfly Gardens include macaw and flamingo, a fly river turtle, pond turtles, frogs, and koi (fish).
The facility says their creatures are sustainably farmed butterflies and rescued animals.
Immersive experiences:
Through this work, Bdugeon has also witnessed how immersive nature supports others navigating significant life challenges, including youth and families: “Visitors feel calmer, more present, and more open to connection when surrounded by the Gardens’ vibrant plants and wildlife.”
Victoria Butterfly Gardens joins a growing network of PaRx partners across Canada. Since launching in 2020, PaRx has grown into a national movement connecting health, nature, and community wellbeing.
Other PaRx partners include Van Dusen Botantical Gardens in Vancouver, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Island University, UBC Botanical Garden, Evo, Pacifica Paddle Sports, Kawartha Conservation, Niagara Peninsula Conservative, and the Toronto Zoo.
“As family physicians, we bring a holistic lens to care that focuses on physical, mental, environmental, and relational health,” says Dr Darren Joneson, President, BC Family Doctors. “One of the most powerful relationships an individual can have is their connectedness to nature. We are ecstatic for the work PaRx does and their new partnership with Victoria Butterfly Gardens.”
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NEWS SECTIONS: WELLNESS & PREVENTION | TOURISM | SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND