Welcome to the Weekend Dispatch. Here are our top finds for March 19.
A monarch butterfly pollinates a Canadian flower. Photo by Anna Niemywska | Instagram
01. Photographer pick: Anna Niemywska
This nature photographer has a passion for flowers. With flowers come insects, and with insects come monarchs. All of her photos are taken in Ontario, Canada, where milkweeds and breeding habitat are widespread and welcome an abundance of these butterflies in spring and summer.
Prints and canvases of all sizes are available on her website. She makes greeting cards too!
Stay in tune with her latest photos and products on Instagram at @anna.niemywska.
The oak tree is one of the most valuable host trees for butterflies. Photo by Pedro Ramos | Unsplash
02. Article pick: Nature Notes: The importance of oaks trees
Oak trees are a keystone species that keep lands healthy by hosting a rich mix of plants, insects, birds and other animals wherever they grow. As a great source of food and habitat, they're especially important for wildlife — including monarchs.
Read "Nature Notes: The importance of oak trees" to learn how oak trees interact with nature and why you should plant one (or five or 10) in your backyard.
"Attracting Native Pollinators" by The Xerces Society. Provided photo
03. Book pick: Attracting Native Pollinators
"Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide, Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies" is for folks looking to create a welcoming habitat for bees, butterflies, moths and other important pollinators. You’ll find ideas for building nesting structures and learn how to take action and protect North America’s future food supply — all while enjoying a native landscape filled with color and life.
The book is coauthored by four Xerces Society staff members in collaboration with Gretchen LeBuhn, a San Francisco State University botanist and director of the Great Sunflower Project.
Order the book here.
Monarchs travel 3,000 miles every year in the U.S. Photo by David Clode | Unsplash
04. Audio pick: The People's Insect
An iconic pollinator species, monarch butterflies are famous for their seasonal migration from the U.S. and Canada south to California and Mexico for the winter.
This Sidedoor episode features Dr. Dara Satterfield, an ecologist who studies animal migration and disease ecology with a focus on monarch butterflies. Give it a listen to learn about the “secret lives” of monarchs and their role in our planet’s future, and what you can do to support them on one of the most remarkable migration journeys the animal kingdom has ever seen.