Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Healthy Habitats: Essential for Diversity

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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