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Launching Bring Monarchs Back!
Launching Bring Monarchs Back!
Oakvillegreen is excited to announce a new initiative - Bring Monarchs Back. The focus of the initiative is to educate and empower the community to continue enhancing existing pollinator pathways and creating habitat for species-at-risk such as the Monarch Butterfly. Oakvillegreen is going to be taking hands-on action this year with the help of our community, to restore Monarch habitat and support this species.
Oakville is a key landing location for endangered Monarch butterflies. As part of their migratory life cycle, Monarch butterflies need habitat for breeding, feeding, and stopover in Southern Ontario. Breeding and feeding habitats can include prairies, meadows, marshes, roadsides and urban patches and pathways. Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed and hatched caterpillars feed only on milkweed before pupating. Asters and goldenrods are particularly important, since they provide nectar during the fall migration.
With the help of community volunteers, we will focus our efforts on multiple restoration sites, including a new pollinator garden in North Oakville. Improved biodiversity will facilitate pollinator movement among increasingly connected urban habitats, and will help species to thrive. We are grateful for the support and partnership with the Town of Oakville, Sheridan College, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Oakville's Lion Club, Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project, and local Oakville schools to make this project possible. If you would like to support our initiative and become a Bring Monarchs Back sponsor, please donate here!
“Together, we can collectively improve pollinator health and habitat for species-at-risk such as the Monarch Butterfly.” says Oakvillegreen’s Programs Director Anelia Tichkova. “Monarchs are beautiful and powerful creatures, a symbol of resilience and transformation, so this is why we picked them as an inspiration and a call to action”
Oakvillegreen is offering educational opportunities as part of Bring Monarchs Back. Contact us to book a nature walk, a seedball making workshop, an educational talk, or a hands-on pollinator group stewardship session.
Don't forget to keep an eye on our Events Calendar for upcoming events! As well, our native plant sale storefront is opening in March and you can join our Milkweed Challenge and grow milkweed for Monarchs.