Butterflyways in Ottawa

Butterflies and bees are suffering from the effects of pesticides and a lack of habitat and suitable food sources as more and more land is developed and lost. But there are two significant ways you can help.

First, the David Suzuki Foundation is running a Butterflyway project by asking for volunteers to plant native flowering plants that provide nutrients for our important pollinators. The aim is to connect these pollinator patches across North America so that butterflies and other pollinators can find food and healthy environments in their local neighbourhoods or as they migrate to and from their distant wintering grounds. There are 15 Butterflyway Rangers that are leading teams to plant and maintain pollinator patches in Ottawa. They are currently receiving training and looking for volunteers to join their teams. Leave a comment if you are interested in joining a Butterflyway team.

The second way you can help is to contact your city councillor and cc the Mayor, Jim Watson, at the City of Ottawa to ask the Mayor to take the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge. While everyone can participate by planting butterfly friendly flowers, leadership from our Mayor would help our city contribute to the wellbeing of our pollinators over an area many times the size of our own pollinator patches.

Purple thistles