They may have gone south for the winter, but a favourite garden visitor will be a big part of tonight’s Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists’ Zoom meeting.
The club will welcome guest speaker Kate Harries, who will deliver a presentation on Mexico’s Monarch butterfly reserves.
A well-known local naturalist and environmental supporter, Harries will discuss her trip late last year to the Sierra Madre mountains where close to 250 million butterflies spend the winter.
“Some, I think, may have made their way here from my home 4,250 kilometres away, in Ontario,” said Harries, who has a native plant nursery and blogs about plants and gardens.
“Two months before my visit, one of them may have passed through my garden, pausing to nectar at the asters, phloxes and Joe Pye weeds. One might even have been one of those caterpillars I raised that consumed impressive amounts of milkweed, to finally eclose from a green jewel-like chrysalid and sail off in a southerly direction.”
At last year's Ontario Nature's annual Conservation Awards, Harries received the Carl Nunn Media and Conservation award, which is presented to an individual, team or media outlet who has engaged in effective communication on one or more conservation issues.
The Midland Penetanguishene Field Naturalists (MPFN), meanwhile, is one of the oldest affiliates of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. The objective of the club is to promote public awareness of natural history, conservation and the environment. They have meetings once a month, normally at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centres, and plan a number of outings throughout the year.
For more information about the club and/or Thursday’s meeting, email the club at [email protected].
