April 15, 2015
Milkweed Highway to help Monarchs
The Milkweed Highway is a project to feed and nurture vast numbers of Monarch butterflies, which are in a dramatic and steep decline in numbers.
Peter Prakke of Ancaster is a director of Safe Gardening, a non-profit international organization that initiated The Milkweed Highway. “We are very proud to announce the co-operation of Antler Services of Brantford, to be the first garden centre in Canada to join in this endeavour,” says Prakke.
It is the aim of The Milkweed Highway to encourage large numbers of people in the U.S. and Canada to plant and maintain new native milkweed plants. The focus of the Highway will be to run across the southern U.S. As the Highway grows in popularity, it will also start to crisscross more northern areas within the monarch migration routes.
There are many individuals who can plant a half a dozen or more milkweed plants; likewise there are numerous civic groups, churches, schools, clubs, and other environmental groups that could plant even larger numbers. If done right, the more milkweeds we plant, the more the butterflies will have to feed and grow on.
There is considerable valid concern that when people plant milkweeds to host monarchs, that they should be using only native species of Asclepias, so that the butterflies do not stop and linger on their migrations south and lay eggs on plants that will then get frosted and killed.
The overall, over-reaching main goal of Safe Gardening is to encourage the creation of landscapes that are healthy for humans, for wildlife, and that are sustainable, balanced and environmentally sound. More information may be found at safegardening.org.
Peter Prakke of Ancaster is a director of Safe Gardening, a non-profit international organization that initiated The Milkweed Highway. “We are very proud to announce the co-operation of Antler Services of Brantford, to be the first garden centre in Canada to join in this endeavour,” says Prakke.
It is the aim of The Milkweed Highway to encourage large numbers of people in the U.S. and Canada to plant and maintain new native milkweed plants. The focus of the Highway will be to run across the southern U.S. As the Highway grows in popularity, it will also start to crisscross more northern areas within the monarch migration routes.
There are many individuals who can plant a half a dozen or more milkweed plants; likewise there are numerous civic groups, churches, schools, clubs, and other environmental groups that could plant even larger numbers. If done right, the more milkweeds we plant, the more the butterflies will have to feed and grow on.
There is considerable valid concern that when people plant milkweeds to host monarchs, that they should be using only native species of Asclepias, so that the butterflies do not stop and linger on their migrations south and lay eggs on plants that will then get frosted and killed.
The overall, over-reaching main goal of Safe Gardening is to encourage the creation of landscapes that are healthy for humans, for wildlife, and that are sustainable, balanced and environmentally sound. More information may be found at safegardening.org.