The magic of monarchs flies into Delhi

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
Designed to be a butterfly celebration, the magic of Monarch Day unfolded at Picton’s Delhi Park Saturday afternoon with a free, family event, where everyone was invited to join in the flutterby fun.

Put together by the South Shore Joint Initiative (SSJI), and this year also hosted by the Department of Illumination, the monarch-themed event hovered in the park for the entire afternoon.

Under the shade of some very big trees, and an equally welcome breeze on the hot afternoon, the relaxing and peaceful park grounds seemed like a magical setting for all things monarch.

SSJI Wild Thing outdoor educator Cheryl Chapman was on hand with a marvellous array of monarch-inspired crafts and art and games, where beads, wool, colouring pens and felt were in abundance, along with a fascinating specimens table (and a small microscope with which to observe the findings).

Whether it was to help assist children to create their own fly-able monarch butterfly, or explaining how to make a seed bomb, along with learning about butterfly lore and facts and so much more, Chapman gladly engaged and shared, with a Wild Thing assistant helping, her knowledge and passion about how the monarch butterfly is an incredible pollinator, and its amazing migratory habits.

The interactive and hands-on sharing provided to any child or grown-up came with Chapman’s unwavering support to teach and guide, where she took the time often sitting one-on-one with children of all ages and abilities to help get them started, whether to advise on how to colour a monarch, or help with felting a monarch butterfly with a needle (to be worn as a brooch), or demonstrating the technique of finger knitting.

While the monarch butterfly’s decline is a serious topic, due to the changing climate, habitat loss and pesticide use mostly, the event was designed to be a fun time, educational to a degree too. But also memorably enchanting as more was learned about the relevance and importance of attracting and protecting this orange and black beauty of a butterfly for years to come, and how residents can also play their part, right in their backyards, to learn ways to help the monarch on its journey.

Children and adults alike could learn how to find out how to help struggling monarch populations, learn to identify monarch eggs and caterpillars, learn how to host a moth party, look around the park for milkweed plants for caterpillars, measure a mapped out distance of how far the monarch flies, make a pollinator puddling station, and there was even a monarch scavenger hunt where kids could test their butterfly knowledge.

SSJI president Cheryl Anderson was also on hand to provide a wealth of information on the monarch butterfly at the SSJI table, with take-home information that included how to create a monarch waystation, details about how to take part in a mission monarch program which helps build a monarch habitat map, as well as general information on the butterfly, its lifecycle, including a list of those plants the monarch favours (in addition to milkweed).

In the ‘did you know department, there were also some facts shared, such as, did you know?’ that the monarch butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in Canada with a wingspan of 63 to 105 millimetres? Milkweed is the only plant the monarch caterpillar will eat, however, the monarch butterfly will feed of many different flowering plants. A female monarch butterfly will lay as many as 300 eggs in just a few weeks, but only one percent will survive to become butterflies.

Highlighting this incredible insect, and how its small delicate body (and especially its tiny wings) manage to get it to and from Mexico, the very fluttery event shone an important light on one of the many incredible and essential insects that enjoy our world alongside us. Another fact: when the monarch butterfly migrates each fall, it can fly up to 4,000 kilometres to reach its winter home – not bad for an insect weighing about the same as a chocolate chip.

Another interesting, and somewhat surprising fact shared notes how monarch butterflies only live for just three to five weeks. However, migrating monarchs will survive up to eight months, long enough to make it to Mexico. Scientists, however, are still trying to understand how monarchs find their way to and from their winter home.

Did you know? The monarchs we see in Canada in June are the great-great grandchildren of those that left Canada in the fall. An interesting fact: They have never been here before, but somehow they know just where to go.

With a steady flight of families dropping by the event throughout the afternoon, the occasion netted a good turnout, and there was even hula-hooping for those in need of burning off some energy. And many went home happy having created something of their own to take with them, be it a yarn-wrapped caterpillar, a lifecycle bracelet, a colouring of a monarch, or a needle felted butterfly, along with some hopefully retained monarch teachings.

An enchanting day dedicated to monarch butterflies, the butterfly celebration continued into the afternoon, finishing up in the early evening with a community picnic (bring your own, although free food also provided) along with a live deejay, before everyone got to fly away home, fluttering if they liked.

Information on the South Shore Joint Initiative can be found at ssjia.ca, along with details of upcoming events.