Victor, NY—According to all reports, butterflies, and particularly monarchs, are decreasing at an alarming rate. Ganondagan is doing its part to help reverse that trend with its new Butterfly Garden Workshop on Sunday morning, June 6 from 10 – 11:30 am. 

For $5/person (ages 9+), individuals will join an informational session on milkweed butterflies, followed by the opportunity to plant three native mature plant species that serve as nectar, larval host and shelter plants into Ganondagan’s Naturalized Butterfly Garden. All plant species chosen for the garden also have cultural value to the Seneca people. Participants will be sent home with a “Beautiful Butterfly Garden Kit” with seedlings of each plant to cultivate in their own gardens.

“Planting butterfly gardens and avoiding chemical use to control weeds and insects are the best things we can do to help butterfly populations rebound. Monarchs specifically suffer from the reduction in milkweed plants across their migration path.” said Whitney Carleton, the New York State Parks and Recreation 

State Parks and Recreation aide dedicated to Ganondagan since 2013. “We’re delighted to be offering this workshop, and believe it will inspire and give hope to participants that they can make a difference.”

Ganondagan’s Naturalized Butterfly Garden was started last August. It is a partnership with the Seneca Park Zoo’s Butterfly Beltway Project which creates gardens along butterfly migration paths. Ganondagan’s goal is to help improve the overall interpretive value of the site by increasing the number of mature native plant species in the butterfly garden, while educating the public on how they can create their own butterfly gardens. It also is a community outreach tool to teach about invasive plant species, its effect on monarch populations, and the need for native milkweed plants and butterfly gardens.

To register, email GSHSConservation@gmail.com.Space is limited to 12 spots, so early registration is encouraged.

CALENDAR:

WHAT: Butterfly Garden Planting Workshop for ages 9+

WHEN: Saturday, June 6, 2015, 10:00 – 11:30 am

WHERE: Meet at Visitor’s Center, Ganondagan State Historic Site, 1488 State Rte 444, Victor, NY

COST: $5/person, which includes three plants to take home. Space is limited to 12 participants. To register, email GSHSConservation@gmail.com.

Amy Blum amyblumpr@gmail.com (585) 425-1864