Observation of the week – September 7-13

The second last OOTW for the 2020 Butterfly Blitz is a great example of a familiar species, a Monarch butterfly seen by @lisachen1.

Lisa saw this Monarch in the sunflower field at Lakeview Park in Mississauga. She says, “I also saw 2-3 other monarchs in the park, I suppose feeding up for their long migration to Mexico.”

As Lisa says, most Monarchs in our area are getting ready to fly south for the winter. These butterflies need food, like flower nectar, and safe resting spots to power up for their flight. Habitat that provides these things is especially important along the lakeshore, as the butterflies need to make it all the way across Lake Ontario before their next stop.

CVC works to protect and restore habitat along the lakeshore throughout our jurisdiction, to provide habitat for migrating species like Monarchs as well as support many other types of biodiversity. We have recently gone one step further and are creating a new area of natural habitat on the lakeshore – just south of Lakeview Park where Lisa saw her Monarch.

When it is completed in 2025, Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area will contain 26 hectares of green space along the lakeshore. In addition to trails that allow connected access to the lakeshore, this green space will include naturalized streams, wetlands, forests, and meadows. It will provide habitat for many plants and animals, including Monarchs as they migrate south in the fall. It will be a great place for future Butterfly Blitzers!

If you can’t wait until 2025 for Jim Tovey Lakeview CA to be ready, why not start your own habitat creation project close to home? That is what Lisa has been doing: “My friends and I have been planting new pollinator gardens this summer and watching for eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies!”. Have you been doing something similar? Let us know!

Posted on September 15, 2020 01:10 PM by lltimms