Скачать или смотреть How can we help monarch butterflies and other pollinators? │ Ask a Scientist

Planting milkweed in our gardens is an excellent way to help monarch butterflies. Greg Mitchell, research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, tells us why and explains what else we can do to keep pollinators abuzz and thriving.

** Transcript **

Today, we're diving into a topic that's as beautiful as it is important, monarch butterflies.
We have a great question from Charlotte from Gatineau, Quebec.
Hi, my name is Charlotte, and I learned in school that we can plant milkweed to help monarch caterpillars grow but what else can we do to help them?
Here to answer is conservation biologist, Greg Mitchell, an expert on pollinators and how we can protect them.
Take it away Greg!
So, monarchs and other pollinators, like bees and hummingbirds, are extremely important for the environment because they help plants reproduce by transferring the pollen between the plants.
My name is Greg Mitchell.
I am a research scientist with the wildlife research division in Environment and Climate Change Canada.
My job is understanding what species at risk need in terms of habitat and resources and understanding some of the reasons their populations are declining.
So, pollinators not only pollinate the plants that we find in our gardens, but they also help pollinate crop plants.
So, 1 in 3 mouthfuls of food that we eat is produced with the help of pollinators!
Unfortunately, monarchs and many other pollinator species are experiencing population decline because of habitat loss, pesticides and climate change.
They really need our help right now.
So, one specific way that we can help monarchs is by planting native milkweed plants.
Why?
Because monarchs need milkweed to reproduce.
It’s the only plant they lay their eggs on.
Another way that we can help monarchs and pollinators is by planting native wildflowers in our gardens and on our balconies, such as Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Canada Goldenrod and Black-eyed Susan, or really any other plant that’s native to your region of Canada.
So, monarchs and other pollinators need these native flowers because the nectar helps them reproduce.
The monarchs need that nectar to help fuel their epic migration to Mexico.
It’s best if we can plant native flowers that flower at different times of year so that there’s always a constant source of nectar.
Many pollinator species, including monarchs, need that nectar in the late summer and early fall.
The good news is it’s almost never too late to plant a flower in your garden.
If you think it’s too late now, it’s not!
You can go to your local flower shop and get a flower that’s blooming later in the season that will help pollinators and monarchs.
Another way that we can help monarchs is by participating in community science programs, like Mission Monarch or the International Monarch Blitz, which helps us to understand how many monarchs are out there and milkweed plants are out there.
So, monarchs and pollinators are experiencing population decline, but I'm super optimistic!
There’s ways that we can help them.
Everybody can do their part.
Every little thing that we do matters and contributes to their conservation and, ultimately, their success.
Thank you Greg, for those insights, and thank you Charlotte for the important question.
Whether it’s planting milkweed or other nectar flowers, every small action can help monarchs on their journey.
Keep those questions coming, and we’ll see you on the next episode of Ask a Scientist!