Tag Archives: Monarch Butterfly

To bee or not to bee: Comox’s path to pollinator protection

By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Town of Comox is making a commitment to bees, butterflies and other pollinators after receiving an official Bee City designation earlier this month. 

The designation, assigned by Bee City Canada, means municipalities will commit to what the organization calls the three pillars of the program: Creating a healthy and biodiverse pollinator habitat, educating and celebrating. 

Continue reading To bee or not to bee: Comox’s path to pollinator protection

Working to reverse the decline of the birds, bees and native plants

By Mark Page, Valley Voice, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Birds need insects to eat and plants to use for nests. Insects must have plants to feed on, and plants require insects for pollination.

The precariousness of this ecological triad was the focus of the West Kootenay Climate Hub’s March 17 offering in their monthly webinar series on local environmental initiatives.

Continue reading Working to reverse the decline of the birds, bees and native plants

Monarch Butterflies Listed As Endangered

Editor’s note: According to a University of Victoria study, the Vancouver Island population has been considered highly vulnerable since 2014, when it was listed as ‘threatened’ by the British Columbia Species at Risk Act. Cortes Island naturalist Gorge Sirk added, “there are no Monarchs here.”

By Dean LaBerge, The Grizzly Gazette, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For the first time ever, the migratory monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus) has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) “red list”, categorized as endangered. The IUCN was created in 1948 and is now recognized as the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, with more than 1,400 member organizations and 15,000 experts. According to the IUCN website, they are effectively known as “the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.”

Continue reading Monarch Butterflies Listed As Endangered