Montreal is one of the greenest cities in the world, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. Especially in summer, especially during the heat wave, especially when our apartment overlooks a building that was due to be delivered in April and has been under constant construction ever since…
And, just like that, on a morning jog, irritated by saws and the smell of tar, we see a monarch butterfly floating between the hedges of the micro-garden of the ground-floor apartments. And we’re reminded that we’re on an island with a complex and rather magical ecosystem.
And, as it happened to me this morning, today we’re talking about the conservation efforts of Espace pour la Vie -the guardian of Montreal’s biodiversity- and the Montreal Insectarium.
The blitz
Between July 25 and August 3, it’s the 9th edition of theInternational Monarch Tracking Blitz . This cross-border initiative covers the migration path of the Monarch butterfly: from Mexico, through the United States, to Canada.
In Quebec, monarch butterflies emerge from their chrysalises in late August and early September. When autumn arrives, they embark on a 4000km journey to spend the winter in a forest in central Mexico. There, they reproduce under the sun, and in spring the young monarchs begin the long journey back to Quebec.
They arrive here at the end of May, and until they reproduce, we see several generations fluttering in our flowerbeds until the cycle starts again at the end of summer.
To reproduce, they need a plant found in gardens in Quebec and Montreal: milkweed.
Unfortunately, the most iconic butterfly of our childhood has been on the endangered species list since 2016.
Climate change, intensive pesticide use and habitat loss are to blame for the rarefaction of the monarch’s favorite plant.
Conservation and initiatives
The blitz initiative involves using the public to gather data on the monarch population during its breeding season. In Quebec, photos of monarchs, milkweeds, chrysalises and eggs are sent to the Montreal Insectarium’s Monarch Mission.
For all the programs that recruit the public to help scientists conserve monarchs, click here;
- Mission Monarque(mission-monarch.org/en)
- iNaturalist Canada(inaturalist.ca)
- iNaturalistMX(mexico.inaturalist.org)
- Correo Real program(correoreal.mx)
- Journey North(journeynorth.org)
- Monarch Larva Monitoring Project(mlmp.org)
- Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper(monarchmilkweedmapper.org)
- iNaturalist(inaturalist.org)
Monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies are part of our ecosystem, but they’re not the only insects important to its preservation… There are also bumblebees, bees, earthworms and beetles (maybe).
Espace pour la Vie is also staging a Festival of Pollinators from July 25 to 27 on the outdoor site of the Insectarium. There will be experts, information booths with expert researchers, shows and surprises…
The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal will also be on hand to provide musical accompaniment for the Storytellers, as they tell the story of The Big Bill to children.
Where? Insectarium outdoor site, Métro Viau or Pie-IX
When? July 25 to 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How? Free event
Good conservation!