OPI'sPI's annual butterfly has turned out to be one of our most popular events! On May 29 we had almost 400 people come out to LUSH for a day of family FUN and to pick up some Milkweed - the only plant the Monarch Butterfly lays its eggs on.
The beautiful Monarch butterfly needs Milkweed to survive:their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.), and Monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs. Because of urban development and other land use changes, Milkweed is not around as much - making it harder for the Monarch population to grow and thrive. In fact, reports show the Monarch population is down to its lowest in twenty years. Two years ago OPI teamed up with LUSH to start the Butterfly festival - a free family-friendly event featuring music, snack, local vendors and of course - Milkweed planting and giveaway. Big THANKS to everyone who came out. Hope you sight some lovely Monarchs this summer!
We planted Milkweed on site and of course, gave away LOTS for folks to plant at home, in playgrounds or anywhere they can find a spot!
This year we had almost 400 attendees including our local MP James Maloney. Kids learned about the Monarch (yes we had actual butterflies) made crafts, enjoyed face painting and more.
We're looking forward to more Milkweed Mania (doing our part to help support the butterfly population) next year. Meanwhile, Did you Know?
- Monarch butterflies travel from Canada south to the United States and hibernate in the forest mountains of Mexico.
- They travel between 2,000 – 5,000 kilometres; their two-month journey is the second longest migration of all known insects.
- Monarch butterflies are currently facing three major risks: illegal logging, lack of milkweed plants and climate change.
- An adult butterfly lives for about 4-6 weeks, unless it is the late summer generation, which lives 6-7 months over winter Mexico.