Posted on August 25, 2023 Sonoma Valley Sun
Posted by Bonnie Brown | to the sun
The first monarch butterflies were seen flying south to their final wintering grounds along the California coast. Sonoma Valley is lucky to fly.
It is expected that their number will increase every year. A winter census by the California Xerice Society shows that while their numbers have dropped from 2,000 three years ago to 360,000 last year, the overall decline has been 90% over the past 25 years.
All pollinators, including butterflies, beetles and a range of other insects, from honey bees to native bees, are under serious threat from human activities: the use of pesticides that kill all insects; increase in monocultures (vineyards), which replace natural habitats and food sources with nectar-like plants; cutting down trees that provide food and shelter; Climate change; development.
And since about a third of the food we eat and drink must be pollinated by insects, human activities that threaten pollination also threaten us.
There are a few steps that everyone can take to help these special creatures survive and thrive. By creating a pollinator community throughout the Sonoma Valley, we can make a significant impact on their existence. Planting flowers that provide nectar, a few bowls, or even half a barrel of wine, when the insects have a place to rest and nutrients, the plants grow.
Growing native milkweed for monarch butterflies gives them a place to raise their young. Other butterflies need certain plants to raise their offspring. Providing a dish filled with soil and water is a source of food and moisture for insects.
To learn more and see the plants that provide vital pollination, visit the Monarch Pollinator Garden behind the First Congregational Church/Congregation Sher Shalom at 252 West Spain Street, Sonoma. The park is open every Sunday until September from 09:00 to 12:00 and is free for all; And the road is used for pedestrians.
You can see different plants that you might like in your garden. Native plants are especially beneficial for insects. Documentation with information on biological pest control and native plant nurseries is available. Visitors can sit in the shade and enjoy the garden, watch bees at work, see butterflies, chat with the garden manager to share ideas, and explore the Redwood Shade Circle.
The garden welcomes the return of the monarch butterfly in September to celebrate its transformation from egg to caterpillar, chrysanthemum and butterfly. Free packages of annual flower plants from last year's garden are given away, and new seeds from this year's garden will be ready in October for next year's spring garden. An email subscription list for our newsletter can be found at the park every Sunday morning.
The garden is in partnership with the Crescent Valley Garden Club and the First Synod Church.
