Eileen Ashe invited me to teach about monarchs at Nature Camp, sponsored by the United Church of Hinesburg, VT last week. Students made seed balls out of potting soil, clay and water. We put milkweed and flower seeds in each ball and rolled them into sunny meadows where they'll grow to produce habitat & food for monarchs next year.Kids from Vermont & Mexico Restore Monarch Habitat
Meet the amazing kids and counselors at Nature Camp in Hinesburg, Vermont. We looked at live monarchs in various stages of metamorphosis and studied their life cycle and migration. Many thanks to director, Eileen Ash for handing her love of nature to the next generation of Vermonters.Restoring Summer Habitat in Vermont
Milkweed
Hooray! Kyle found a monarch egg on the milkweed plant he's holding. We planted milkweed in Hinesburg to re-build the monarch habitat that's been disappearing due to the pervasive use of Round Up on lawns & crops.Restoring Winter Habitat in Mexico
The Oyamel Forest
Three thousand miles south of Vernon, we're working with our friends at Forests for Monarchs to restore the monarch's winter habitat: the Oyamel forest. These budding environmentalists are holding oyamel tree seedlings which they'll plant to restore monarch habitat in their community. 550 of the seedlings will be donated by the kids & parents from the Hinesburg, Vermont Nature Camp.
The monarchs' Mexican forest habitat is disappearing, due to climate change and illegal logging. So Vermont Woods Studios has partnered with the environmental heros at "Forests for Monarchs". The students and parents above hold the future of the monarch's winter habitat in their hands. You can lend your own hand to them at forestsformonarchs.org/donate .Hands Across the Border
The monarch is a symbol of cross-border cooperation throughout North America, as it migrates through all 3 countries, Mexico, the USA and Canada. The same monarchs we're seeing now in Vermont will soon migrate to Michoacan, Mexico. There they will spend the winter on oyamel trees in the Mexican forest, as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. The future of this astonishing migration rests in our hands and your hands but perhaps most importantly in the hands of the next generation. We want to give them as much help as possible. Read more about our partnership to conserve monarch habitat in Mexico & Vermont and donate to our friends at Forests for Monarchs today!
Together Kids from Vermont & Mexico are Planting 550 Trees to Restore the Monarch's Winter Habitat
We're sending thanks to Eileen Ash, the United Church of Hinesburg, VT and the kids & parents who made this monarch conservation project possible. Their generous contribution to Forests for Monarchs has enabled founder, Jose Luis Alvarez and his volunteers to plant 550 oyamel tree seedlings in the monarchs' over-wintering area. Muchas gracias!
