Monarch butterflies have begun their annual southbound migration, heading from Canada and the northern/midwestern U.S. to their winter home in Mexico, and should begin showing up in Texas soon (sightings were reported in Oklahoma this week). Richardson is a great place to spot them, as the City has been a Mayors’ Monarch Pledge city since 2015 (a program of the National Wildlife Federation), recognizing that the butterfly is an important part of our ecosystem. The Parks and Recreation Department has established dedicated butterfly gardens in four parks—Berkner, Prairie Creek, Durham and Yale—and includes butterfly-friendly “pollinator plants” (that attract and feed butterflies) in park and landscape projects wherever feasible, such as at Collins Park and CityLine Park.
Scientists rely on the help of “citizen scientists” to understand the monarch’s conservation needs—report sightings, track migration on real-time migration maps and follow migration news at www.journeynorth.org/monarchs.
Website: www.cor.net/richardsonplants
