On Saturday, June 25, 700 pollinator plugs were planted thanks to the help of our hard working volunteers and interns. A total of 11 species were planted including swamp milkweed, a host plant for Monarchs!
Thanks to a generous gift of Northeast Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kits from the Xerces Society, Friends of Princeton Open Space is creating a habitat for local pollinators at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve in Princeton.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (xerces.org) is a nonprofit focused on protecting the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. The organization is named for the Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces), the first butterfly known to go extinct in North America as a result of human activity.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. The habitat kits provided by the Xerces Society contain regionally appropriate milkweed species, a critical host-plant for monarch caterpillars, and a variety of nectar plants attractive to monarchs and other adult butterflies. The plants in the kits also support an enormous diversity of other local pollinators and beneficial insects over their full life cycle.
“We are pleased to be chosen to participate in the Xerces Northeast Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kit Program.” notes Anna Corichi, FOPOS’ Director of Natural Resources and Stewardship. In planting this kit, the Mountain Lakes Preserve will become an essential partner in conserving the Eastern Monarch butterfly and other essential pollinators, and help us to create a high quality pollinator habitat that will be protected and maintained for the long term.”