We love our pollinators! Pollinators play key key roles in each terrestrial ecosystem they call home. Assuring that our flowering plants get fertilized to continue to produce seeds each year. One pollinator that is especially exceptional is the Monarch Butterfly. We are lucky enough to see this beautiful pollinator at our base of operations at the Just Food Community Farm. As seen by this amazing photograph captured during one of our site tours.
The Monarch Butterfly has been listed as endangered in Canada since 2016. However recently it has been added to the International Endangered Species List by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This is due to a drastic decrease in Monarch populations over the last decade. The state of Monarch populations can be read further in this article by the CBC “Monarch butterflies added to international list of threatened species”.
One plant family that is vital to the butterfly’s success is Milkweed. Monarch Butterfly caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed species, such as the Common Milkweed. Milkweed abundance and Monarch Butterfly abundance are therefore tied together. At our base of operations we have lots of common milkweed surrounding our various projects.
Pollinators have faced countless threats from urbanization, agriculture, climate change and invasive species. One way to protect pollinators such as the Monarch Butterfly is to plant native flowering species in our yards and around our communities. At our base of operations we have many native flowering species. Our tiny forest project is rich in biodiversity, it includes native trees and native flowering species such as Bee Balm. The tiny forest will serve as habitat for many pollinator species including Monarch Butterflies. We are hoping to raise enough funds to purchase materials to plant out the final section of the tiny forest. If you would like to donate you can do so here. We are also hosting a mulching party for the tiny forest on August 31st from 4 pm to 7 pm. All are welcome, if you are coming please let us know by sending an email to comms@foretcapitaleforest.ca. If you would like to come and tour our base of operations to see our tiny forest, along with our other projects please email comms@foretcapitaleforest.ca.
