2022 - Our year of the Monarch Butterfly

Waystation 2015

At Millson Forestry Service we take pride in our commitment to the environment. As environmental stewards, we are thrilled to announce that 2022 was our year of the monarch.

The plight of the Monarch butterfly has been on the radar of any environmentalist for at least the past 10 years. The Monarch population has been plummeting since the beginning of the century. In 2014, Canada, the US, and Mexico acknowledged this and committed to establish a working group to ensure the conservation of the Monarch butterfly.

At Millson Forestry Service, we believe that any work done to promote the Monarch would be of benefit to other pollinator species as well. That’s why in 2015, we established our first Monarch Waystation. We collected some seeds from some common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca) that we found locally and started some plants in the greenhouse. We planted our first milkweed patches in 2015, and in 2018, we began seeing some caterpillars.

Our Monarch Waystation consists of milkweed, nectar, and water, which are essential for the survival of the Monarch butterfly. We are proud to say that in 2022, we successfully cultivated a significant number of monarch butterflies from our waystation. Throughout the season we easily spotted 100 caterpillars as several cohorts developing over the season. As the caterpillars developed into chrysalises, we started by leaving them on their own hatch. However, as the season progressed, we started to see some predation

Waystation 2022

from other insects. Seeing as the Monarch had just been identified as an endangered species, we decided to relocate the chrysalises as they developed to a more protected area. We can easily confirm the hatching of at least 30 butterflies from our waystation!

As we continue to expand our Monarch Waystation, we invoice you to join us in our efforts to conserve the Monarch butterfly and other pollinator species. By taking simple steps like planting native species and avoiding the use of pesticides, we can create a safer and more sustainable environment for all.

At Millson Forestry Service, we are proud to be part of the solution. Our commitment to the Monarch butterfly is just one example of our dedication to the environment. We hope you will join us in our efforts to protect and conserve these amazing creatures.