BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Hundreds of monarch butterflies are already getting ready to start their mass migration to warmer climates. To make the trip, which happens in the fall, the butterflies will need to build up stamina by eating.
The White Wolf Wellness Foundation is preparing for the monarch migration by hosting a milkweed seeding event on Saturday, January 28.
https://whitewolfwellness.org/
"Milkweed is a really important plant for pollinators. Over 400 types of insects benefit from having this plant around," said Katherine Winters, CEO of the White Wolf Wellness Foundation.
Winters says her goal for the seeding event is to repopulate a native pollinator garden with the help of the public.
Though the primary goal is to support the migration of monarchs, the milkweed planted on Saturday will also assist other species of butterflies, as well as bees. Winters says the area she chose to plant the milkweed is very special and will allow the monarchs to thrive.
"This is one of the only northside access points that doesn't have development on it, so this is a perfect place to rehabilitate the land by planting native species of trees and pollinator plants, because they're not going to be developed over," said Winters.
With the help of volunteers from the public, Winters hopes to plant at least 120 milkweed plants in specific areas of the land, while also decorating an ADA-qualifying accessible trail planned for the area.
"So this will be planted around there so people, as they're walking our first little areas that we're building, where people can just sit and chill, these will be around there with other pollinators that are in the works to go in," said Winters.
The milkweed plants are just a few inches tall right now, but come springtime will have grown to be between 4 and 5 feet tall. With monarchs being an endangered species, Winters hopes her efforts can give back more to the community and increase their population.
The Saturday seeding event is open to everyone, including families with children, and anyone else who wants to help monarch butterflies continue to thrive. For more information, you can visit the White Wolf Wellness Foundation's webpage or contact White Wolf Wellness on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/whitewolfwellness
