VANCOUVER, B.C. (Jan. 19, 2026) – Victoria Butterfly Gardens and PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program, are partnering to expand access to nature-based healing.

PaRx, a BC Parks Foundation initiative, helps nearly 20,000 registered healthcare providers across Canada prescribe time in nature to support physical and mental health. Based on research showing that even a few hours outdoors weekly improves wellbeing, PaRx prescribers have collectively issued an estimated 1.5 million nature prescriptions to date.

Beginning Jan. 19, PaRx prescription holders visiting Victoria Butterfly Gardens can access two admission offers: 50 per cent off admission for one PaRx prescription holder, or a "buy one, get one free" offer for a PaRx holder and a guest.

Open year-round, Victoria Butterfly Gardens’ 11,000-square-foot tropical rainforest hosts over 75 butterfly species—with 1,000 individuals emerging weekly—alongside a variety of tropical plants and rescued animals in an accessible, climate-controlled environment.

For Travis, 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.”

Through this work, Travis 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.

“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.”

“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.”

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Media Contacts:

Chelsea Rooney Senior Manager, Communications, BC Parks Foundation (236) 477-2554 x 130 chelsea.rooney@bcparksfoundation.ca

Suzy Kirkland Senior Marketing Manager, The Truffles Group (Victoria Butterfly Gardens) 250-228-4858 suzy@trufflesgroup.com

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