Mayor Dale Ross has joined local government executives across the country to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic American species.
In the mid 90s, more than 1 billion butterflies made an annual 2000-mile migration from Canada to Mexico. In 2014, an estimated 60 million made the trip. The National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge is committing cities to create habitat and educate citizens about how they can help.
Parks and Recreation Director Kimberly Garrett encouraged citizens to plant milkweed and nectar plants to create healthy habitats for them. Georgetown is an early adapter and is among those leading the way.
Mayor Ross promised the sponsoring Girl Scouts the city will continue to plant milkweed along city trails and in parks, and will launch a public campaign to encourage residents to do the same.
Milkweed is vital to the Monarch. It is the only plant on which they will lay their eggs, and when the caterpillars hatch, this is their only source of food. Milkweed contains a toxin the caterpillars incorporate into their wings and exoskeletons, rendering them poisonous to predators as adult butterflies. This is why native milkweed planting and conservation is critical to ensuring their survival.
A single migration takes three to four generations of butterflies so no one monarch will make the whole trip. Along the way they are being eradicated through pesticides and herbicides and illegal logging of their winter habitats in Mexico. Since Georgetown is part of a major butterfly highway so the Mayor and Parks Department will be making a concerted effort to start planting.
