Change… many think it happens suddenly. There is no denying that there are moments that create sudden change, what I’ve learned is the undeniable change that happens in the passing of every moment. We rise to a new day and rest after it’s over only to do it again… and again. In that rise and rest… there is change.
…and so it is that now a report has come out that our beautiful Monarch butterfly has made it to the endangered list.
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Over the past years I’ve been adding more flowers to my garden, specifically milkweed – which is the vegetation preferred by the Monarchs. Also when I was Mayor for the city of Lake Helen, Florida I spearheaded entering our city into the Monarch City USA and the commission also approved Monarch Butterfly street pole banners to bring awareness to this valuable and endangered species. Now that I’ve stepped down from political service it fills me with honor that I did do something for this species beyond my garden.
As if that was not enough, a couple years ago… I woke up with an urgency to paint the outside of our home. I still don’t know what overcame me to make murals of butterflies on our house. It is definitely one of its kind in our little town.
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There is something magically odd about the artwork (at least to me)… it is so natural that you could drive by and not notice it and yet at the same time when the sun shines on the house in that magical way that it does… you simply can’t miss it. I have featured two Monarchs on the walls, a reminder of how special they are.
I pray that we can be encouraged to be more proactive in our efforts to save this beautiful species, it is not an impossible task. We humans have an incredible power when we come together, historically according to the Natural History Museum ten species we have saved from extinction among them are the Blue Whale and Peregrine falcons.
There are a few things you can do… one could be to encourage your city to become registered as a Monarch City USA, as a citizen of your city you can encourage your city to place street banners to advocate for them and bring awareness that way also. As an individual you can pick a corner or spot in your garden and plant milkweed to attract the monarch caterpillar to your garden and if space is not enough you can plant it in a pot and place it on your porch.
