Milkweed for Monarchs Kick-off
Saturday, February 17th from 11 am to Noon
@ The National Arboretum
Milkweed for Monarchs, Inspiring Conservation in Scouts and Their Families, is presented by the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America and hosted by the United States National Arboretum. Please join us to celebrate the start of this new monarch butterfly conservation program and be the first to get your seeds and commemorative patches!
What is “Milkweed for Monarchs?”
In February 2018, The National Capital Area Council will kick-off Milkweed for Monarchs, a massive conservation project to protect and promote sustainable habitat for the monarch butterfly. One of nature’s most recognized and beautiful butterflies, the Monarch has been in decline in recent years, seeing a 1/3 decrease in its “overwintering” count from February 2016 to February 2017. A sign of spring for many, the Monarch is also a vital food source for other animals in the local ecosystem, and consequently, their dwindling numbers could have profound effects on the food chain. Many factors are at play, including environmental considerations and a loss of habitat.
Scouts are looking to help arrest and reverse this trend. The caterpillars that eventually become the monarch depend upon milkweed as their food source. With Milkweed for Monarchs, Scouts will be encouraging not just the protection of existing stands of milkweed, but the planting and cultivation of more of this vital monarch food stuff. How can you help? Simple. Protect milkweed where you see it and plant more. It’s not a difficult plant to cultivate. Because milkweed is a perennial, once you plant it and establish it this spring, your plants will return the following year to help feed the next generation of monarch caterpillars.
Questions? Please email your queries to ncacmonarchs@ncacbsa.org.