LAUREL – The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Reclaim Our River Program – Nanticoke Series, in partnership with the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, and the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, will host two free presentations in March on saving the monarch butterfly, gardening for butterflies, and the importance of clean water.
The presentations will address the monarch butterfly population’s decline of more than 90 percent worldwide over the past 20 years. This is a critical environmental loss, since flowering plants depend on pollinators, including butterflies, to reproduce. Pollinators enable flowering plants to purify water and prevent erosion, through roots that hold the soil in place, and provide foliage that buffers the impact of rain.
On March 2, butterfly enthusiast Mike McFarlin of Milton will speak about his efforts to help repopulate Delaware’s monarch butterfly population, by raising hundreds of them each summer. In addition, he will explain how attendees can volunteer as stewards, and adopt an area of land that supports pollinator habitat.
The second presentation, on March 30, will be led by Alice Mohrman of the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center and focus on gardening for butterflies. She will also provide tips on how to landscape yards with attractive native plants that support wildlife habitat, and help reduce waterway pollution.
A limited number of free milkweed seeds will be available to participants, along with information on activities that support clean water. Attendees also will learn about the 2020 Reclaim Our River–Nanticoke Series, which offers numerous opportunities to learn techniques for keeping local waterways clean. Participants are encouraged to arrive early.
Both presentations will begin at 6 p.m. at the Laurel Library, located at 101 East 4th Street, Laurel, DE 19956.
For more information about the presentations, contact Alice Mohrman at 302-422-0847, or alice@delawarenaturesociety.org. For more information on the Reclaim Our River Program, contact Philip Miller at 302-608-5468, or Philip.miller@delaware.gov.
Contact: Phil Miller, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship Nonpoint Source Program, 302-608-5468, philip.miller@delaware.gov