Warwick Water Feature Flows for Monarch Butterflies and More Obscure Pollinators
Some surprising insects are important as pollinators, says Abby Ashley, who gave this speech at the opening of the Warwick Monarch Butterfly Garden water feature.
By Abigail Ashley
Why Monarchs?
Nine years ago, while walking the fields of our fourth generation farm on a blue sky sunshine day, my daughter who was four at the time, noticed a milkweed plant occupied by several black, yellow and white striped caterpillars. She thought they were rather cute and continued to seek out more of them. There were hundreds, all munching the long lipped leaves of the milkweed, or what used to be called the Butterfly Flower. We walked back to the house to look up our photos and identify what kind of caterpillars they were…and surprise! They were Monarch Caterpillars!
Around that same time, we noticed my uncle driving the familiar old John Deere tractor down route 94, and we knew it was Hay Day. My daughter, always excited to see the tractor, paused and looked at me perplexedly and asked, “Mama, what will happen to all the caterpillars if the tractor cuts the grass?”
I shrugged and began to explain, but before I could begin, she ran off to gather buckets from the horse barn. To make a long but beautiful story short, she gently lifted as many caterpillars as she could from each leaf, saving as many as she could. The hopeful tenderness of those summer afternoon hours became a full throttle mission in the days and months ahead.
We raised, relocated and studied the lives of Monarch Butterflies. We set up outdoor screened tents, preserved areas of milkweed—their one and only food source—and journeyed to Cape May, NJ to meet scientists studying Monarch life cycles, migratory behaviors and all that was Monarch.
Partnering with close friends, we worked with students at Sanfordville and Tuxedo Park Schools on exploring the Monarch Butterfly, integrating science, geology, physics and aww-inspiring wonder.
The outside classroom is by far one of the best educational platforms for our children. Monarch Butterfly initiatives, such as Heaven Hill Farms Earth Day event, Orange Environments Hudson Valley Pollinator Project and the recent Monarch Festival, Sustainable Warwick’s Pollinator Pathway, Warwick’s recent Monarch Village Designation, all have invited and embraced continued efforts to help the Monarch Butterfly and all pollinators, their ecosystem and habitats.
Perhaps what is most compelling about this unassuming fly-by-the-seat-of-its wings-butterfly, beyond its weight of less than one gram, is its arduous journey of 2,000 miles to reach its over-wintering areas in central Mexico. Via its ability to navigate with both an internal compass and clock, it finds its way from as far north as Canada…Isn’t that inspiring to us all?
For a creature who originated over 2 million years ago, and whose possible extinction could occur within 60 years, it’s no wonder the scientific and agricultural communities are sounding the alarm for this “canary in the coal mine” as a symbol of our huge worldwide pollinator decline.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture 2022 report has made pollinator health a top priority. Pollinator declines around the world have caused fruit farmers in some areas to pollinate orchards by hand with paintbrushes and feathers.
Climate change, loss of habitat land, herbicides and pesticides are all contributing factors. Last month’s EPA findings confirm the devastating effects of neonics and confirm the pesticides as among the most ecologically disastrous since DDT.
Why are pollinators crucial?
One out of every three bites of food you eat exists because of pollinators, according to the National Park Service.
We are talking not only butterflies, but bees, which pollinate 80% of flowering plants and more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables, including onions.
Also, moths are the unsung heroes of pollination, which new research suggests are more efficient pollinators than bees.
Birds are the key global pollinators of wildflowers.
Bats are relied on by over 300 species of fruit for pollination, including mangoes, bananas and guavas, to name a few from the USDA Fact Sheet.
Ants, while not huge pollinators by comparison, directly guard many nectar producing plants from, yes, nectar robbers! No kidding!
Beetles, with ancient evolutionary origins, are the oldest pollinators, and are especially important to the ancient species of plants that rely on them, such as the timeless Magnolia and the fragrant Spicebush, says the USDA Fact Sheet.
Flies, well, I know it sounds like your least favorite pollinator, but what if I told you they pollinate cocoa trees? Yup. Your chocolate would not be possible without flies. What can I say? It’s all about balance. You don’t want them on your chocolate, but you do want them pollinating the plant that makes chocolate possible.
The future of land as food security cannot be overstated, including healthy ecosystems that support these pollinators. An exquisite butterfly garden such as this one, while stunningly beautiful, serves a valuable purpose and connects us to it. What occurs here in this garden helps our surrounding farmers via pollinators.
The valuable water feature we are here to celebrate helps provide an essential watering hole for these butterflies, bees and other pollinator insects.
If we could give a voice to the flowers and pollinators in this garden, they would surely express their thanks for making this possible. While seemingly small, the impact is great. Generations of four-year-olds with buckets full of hope will also be thankful. 🦋🪣
This Doug Tallamy video elaborates on pollinators, including which native trees serve the most pollinators and why:
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