By Connie Schmidt
Lonnie
Morris, our vibrant volunteer coordinator of the DuPage Monarch Project,
visited DuPage this summer to photograph some of the waystations established
here in our communities. It was an amazing experience to watch her exclaim over
the various species of native plants as she discovered them in the prairies and
parks we visited. We found thriving areas and some that were being overtaken by
encroaching nonnative species. One fact was obvious as we roamed the county:
humans will have to lend a hand if these areas are to thrive and support
vibrant communities of biodiversity. Weeds easily creep in, and the fragile
systems become unbalanced with the native plants withering away.
Coincidentally,
I just received my newsletter from Monarch Watch. Within the newsletter was a
section dedicated to one of the goals of DuPage Monarch Project, which is to
establish Monarch Waystations. These respite areas are essential to connect the
green spaces for the weary migrants as they proceed on their long journeys.
Below is a quote from the Monarch Watch newsletter imploring that waystations
be listed in their registry. Did you know that Illinois has the second largest
number of Waystations?! I wonder if we could make it to the top of the list?
“To offset
the loss of milkweeds and nectar sources we need to create, conserve, and
protect monarch butterfly habitats. You can help by creating "Monarch
Waystations" in home gardens, at schools, businesses, parks, zoos, nature
centers, along roadsides, and on other unused plots of land. Creating a Monarch
Waystation can be as simple as adding milkweeds and nectar sources to existing
gardens or maintaining natural habitats with milkweeds. No effort is too small
to have a positive impact.
Have you
created a habitat for monarchs and other wildlife? If so, help support our
conservation efforts by registering your habitat as an official Monarch
Waystation today!
https://monarchwatch.org/waystations
A quick
online application will register your site, and your habitat will be added to
the online registry. You will receive a certificate bearing your name and your
habitat's ID that can be used to look up its record. You may also choose to
purchase a metal sign to display in your habitat to encourage others to get
involved in monarch conservation.
As of 4 July
2023, there have been 44,110 Monarch Waystation habitats registered with
Monarch Watch! Texas holds the #1 spot with 3,664 habitats and Illinois
(3,381), Michigan (3,205), California (2,864), Florida (2,299), Ohio (2,285),
Pennsylvania (1,951), Virginia (1,915), Wisconsin (1,911), and New York (1,441)
round out the top ten.
You can view
the complete listing and a map of approximate locations via
https://monarchwatch.org/waystations/registry "
Note: There
is a nominal fee to help offset processing costs and support Monarch Watch's
conservation efforts.
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