The Eco-teers planted milkweed for Monarch butterfly conservation this past Saturday morning, July 23, at Flamingo Gardens. Twenty volunteers helped in the efforts to plant nectar and host plants in the garden and stratify milkweed seeds in growing cells for future planting.
The Monarch butterfly has recently been added to the endangered species list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As the population decreases for these important pollinators, Eco-teers have dedicated their focus to nursing milkweed plants and seeds to help conserve the species.
As climate change continues to rise, so does the threat of biodiversity and habitat loss. The Monarch population is experiencing the detrimental impacts of the climate crisis firsthand and is just steps away from extinction if action is not taken immediately.
To protect our pollinators, the Eco-teers planted 24 host and nectar plants including milkweed, coontie, lantana, and penta. 720 milkweed seeds were stratified and placed in growing cells for future planting. Besides these efforts, approximately 83 pounds of weeds were removed from the Flamingo Gardens butterfly garden and 24 Monarch butterflies were released into the garden. More Monarch butterflies are to be released soon.
The success of this project could not have been possible without the help of the education and horticulture team at Flamingo Gardens and the Youth Environmental Alliance. Support has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Leonard & Sally Robbins Fund, Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund, Frederick W. Jaqua Fund, and support from Spirit Airlines. If you are interested in joining these efforts, you may apply to become an Eco-teer by requesting an application at [email protected]g
