Whitefish Bay is a Monarch City!
In 2021, the Whitefish Bay Garden Club proposed that the Village of Whitefish Bay pursue certification as a Monarch City. The Village was enthusiastically supportive and, in partnership with us, passed a resolution, applied, and was certified as a Monarch City. This designation recognizes our interest in and commitment to protecting monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
Monarch butterflies have become a symbol of conservation because they are well known, beautiful, and inspiring! When we restore and protect them and their habitats, we also restore and protect other pollinators and wildlife species.
Monarchs have been described as a “canary in the coalmine”: If they are in trouble, so are other pollinators. Both the eastern and western monarchs are threatened with extinction, primarily due to habitat loss, pesticides, herbicides, and extreme weather related to climate change.
The Club creates and maintains our community gardens with particular attention to selecting plants that serve as host plants for various butterflies and other insect species, providing stems and leaves for their eggs and larvae. We also select plants that provide optimal food sources for them. We design our gardens to address other needs of insects, as well, including water sources and rocks for landing and warmth.
We provide annual programming related to this conservation effort, with presentations at the library that have included “Native Bees in Your Neighborhood,” “The Kingdom of the Butterflies,” “Butterflies’ Favorite Plants,” and “Selecting Native Plants for Whitefish Bay”.
Resources:
Monarch City USA (http://monarchcityusa.com)
Monarch Joint Venture (https://monarchjointventure.org)
Xerces Society (https://xerces.org>monarchs)
Monarch Watch (www.monarchwatch.org)