On Thursday, September 19th, at 6pm the Urquhart Butterfly Garden is very excited to be hosting a free lecture by Don Davis called “Protecting the Monarch Butterfly”. We hope to observe Monarchs outside in the garden, but then we shall move inside to the adjacent Air Force Club for the talk
Monarch Butterflies migrate annually between their breeding grounds in the northern parts of the continent and their over-wintering grounds in Michoacan, Mexico, an epic journey of more than 4,000 kilometers. The discovery of the Monarch over-wintering grounds was made by Fred and Norah Urquhart, the namesakes of the Urquhart Butterfly Garden, in 1976. However, in the past year alone, the number of Monarchs in their winter home has dropped precipitously by more than 80%, bringing in to question the future of North America’s most well-known butterfly.
Everyone interested not only in the Monarch, but also in the health of our local forests and meadows, is encouraged to attend to learn more about the plight of this important species. The Monarch Butterfly is an indicator, whose condition tells us much about the health of the larger biosphere.