Page 8 - The Friday Flyer ● MARCH 01, 2019

A-8 THE FRIDAY FLYER MARCH 1, 2019
Hortons to present program on monarchs

Canyon Lake residents Ted and Nan- flies, resting during their migratory trav-
cy Horton will be presenting a program els along the Pacific flyway.
on monarch butterflies on Mar. 11 at 3 Ted is making his own plans to help
p.m. at the Canyon Lake Library. create a butterfly-friendly habitat in his
Ted is a board member of Audubon backyard and urges other Canyon Lake
International and has been concerned residents to do the same. At this time,
about the loss of 70 to 80 percent of only a couple of species of Milkweed
monarchs in the last 10 years due to de- are acclimated to Southern California
velopment and loss of habitat. With a lit- weather. Fortunately, they can be or-
tle effort, he believes that the chances of dered from various nurseries in five-
monarchs returning to Canyon Lake on inch potted plants. The plants require
their migratory path can be improved.
This is a free program for families with well-prepared garden soils.
a focus on children. For the hardy gardeners, and for larg-
The program will consist of a slide- er areas, seed can be used to establish
show and video on the life cycle of the the plants, but often require two to three
monarch butterfly, and the work that years of tedious and patient gardening
Ted has done to plant butterfly weed in to flourish. Ted will be placing some
his own garden. Within a day or two of of these potted plants in his garden and
planting ten plants last spring, caterpil- even perhaps in the rough of the Canyon
lars appeared, devoured the plants, and Lake Golf Course to accompany purple
forced Ted to buy more plants to feed and yellow flowering plants that are at-
the caterpillars. There was only one co- tractive food sources for butterflies.
coon, but the rate is about one in ten co- When asked how Canyon Lake resi-
coons for each caterpillar. “It is fun for dents could join in the process, Ted
kids to see the caterpillars at work and suggests a possible long-term project:
to see the cocoons,” said Ted. “ It is pos- “Together we can develop patches of
sible to watch a monarch emerge from appropriate habitat, flowering plants for
the cocoon and fly away. It is delight- nectar and Milkweed for egg hatching
ful to have monarchs flying around the sites. We can work together to manage
garden.” larger, open space habitat that could be
Each family who attends the pro-
gram will receive a butterfly plant to adapted to appropriate plantings for the
take home and plant. Ted will provide monarch butterfly and other pollina-
instruction on how to plant them. Each tors.”
family also will receive a coloring book Until this can be put into place, Ted
produced by Audubon International. has a suggestion for immediate par- PHOTO PROVIDED BY MACKENZIE DORE
Ted and Nancy became intrigued with ticipation by Canyon Lakers: “Plant a
the monarch butterflies since visiting the few Milkweed plants in your garden to
pine groves in Pacific Grove, California, see what happens. I wonder how many
when they lived in Monterey during the plants it will take to make a tiny differ-
1990s. At certain times of the year, the ence. Imagine if we all had just a few Ted constructed a lighted monarch butterfly to display on his boat in the Parade of Lights and
trees were aglitter with fluttering butter- plants, would it add up?” on his golf cart in the Golf Cart Parade. The butterfly won him an award at both events.