THE POINTE-A-PIERRE Wildfowl Trust has begun creating butterfly gardens to mitigate the decline of the monarch butterfly, followings its recent designation as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Switzerland-based IUCN issued a statement on July 21, saying, “The migratory monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus), known for its spectacular annual journey of up to 4,000 kilometres across the Americas, has entered the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered, threatened by habitat destruction and climate change.”
Speaking with Newsday, environmental activist and president of the trust Molly Gaskin, said the Wildfowl Trust is in the early stages of creating the gardens, outfitted with food and host plants, with the assistance of students and the south arm of Soroptomists International TT, of which Gaskin is a long-time member. The organisation is also spreading the message to schools, encouraging them to implement gardens to attract not only butterflies but birds also.
[caption id="attachment_970719" align="alignnone" width="912"] Monarch butterfly and a pupa at the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust. - Photo courtesy Wild Fowl Trust[/caption]
“Without birds, we wouldn’t have certain fruit trees,” Gaskin said.
“The presence of specific food plants is of primary influence to the presence of butterflies.
The monarch butterfly is generally migrates according to the climate but not in Trinidad, Gaskin said, owing to the country’s ideal weather conditions.
“In Trinidad its migratory instinct is completely lost in the relative uniformity of our climate; it exists here happily.
“A very dry season,” she said, “followed by heavy rain, is good for butterfly breeding and hatching.
“Butterflies thrive, where there is sunshine, warmth and a great abundance of flowering shrubs and trees.”
However, Gaskin is concerned that climate change is a major contributor to their dwindling numbers locally, in addition to the removal of food plants.
“We have everything that they need; the weather, the climate (and) the food so far (but) we are still doing what we’re not supposed to do. We are still cutting down forests, we’re still cutting down plants rather than planting.”
Gaskin noted that common food plants for butterflies in Trinidad include asclepias currassavica (Mexican butterfly weed), common milkweed, butterfly and swamp milkweed, flowers of the cucumber, pumpkin plants and citrus trees (especially orange trees).
She said one does not necessarily need a full or partial garden to make a difference but can do so by placing a few plant pots with these plants outside the house.
“They also suck the juices from rotting oranges, grapefruit, and bananas, (along with) pois doux (padoo) flowers, all the variety of cassia flowers, and all the passifloras, to name a few. "
Gaskin said, In proportion to its size, Trinidad is one of the richest places on earth for butterflies. “Our little country is some 200 times more popular than Brazil which is the world’s largest b
