“LOUISIANA’S BUTTERFLY MILKY WAY
– SAVING OUR MONARCHS”
LOUISIANA GARDEN CLUB FEDERATION,
INC.
BUTTERFLY GARDENING AND CONSERVATION
CO-CHAIRMEN PAT GOLEMI AND DENISE WOODWARD
2011 – 2013
>> PDF PRINTABLE FILE <<
Project’s Objective: To preserve the North American
migration path of one of nature’s most beautiful but fragile insects, the
amazing Monarch Butterfly, by creating Monarch Way Stations that will ensure
the production of future generations and sustain migration.
Why the monarchs need our help: Each fall hundreds of millions of monarch
butterflies migrate from Canada and the United States to Mexico and back again in the spring. The
monarch migration is truly one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, but it
is threatened by habitat loss. The
monarch larvae depend on food from the milkweed plant and the adult
monarchs on food from nectar plants.
These food sources are declining due to land development and the
widespread use of herbicides.
How we can help: We can get garden clubs, schools and home gardeners involved
with a program called Monarch Watch,
run by the University of Kansas.
The part we can play is to create what the program calls Monarch Way Stations. They are places (habitats) that provide the milkweed
and nectar plants needed by the monarchs to produce future generations and sustain their migration and can be as simple as a small patch of milkweed and a few penta plants. Milkweed seeds or plants can be planted anywhere, can be harvested and passed along to someone else monarchwatch.org will provide all the information needed, with a place to register Way Stations, report monarch sightings and receive a special certificate.
Be a Citizen Scientist: Monarch Watch is an educational, scientific and
conservation program. The student or
citizen scientist can learn and exchange information with those in Mexico, Canada and the U. S.
WHAT WE’D LIKE FROM YOU: As soon as your Way Station is completed, please send
us a non-competitive report of what you’ve done (photos and description), so we
can track the success of our project. The 2011-2012 deadline is May
1, 2012. Thank you for helping save our monarchs.
|
