[NatureNS] Fw: [Aliens-L] How well-intentioned Americans trying

DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
References: <A893DF43677947629EDEFADC4C24B0F9@D58WQPH1>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 10:58:15 -0400
From: Nicholas Hill <fernhillns@gmail.com>
To: "naturens@chebucto.ns.ca" <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects

Index of Subjects
To reiterate, it is not abundant. It--swamp milkweed-- is listed as S4
by an organization that keeps track of plants as a science and a
business. While it is no longer considered rare because of finds in
the past decade, it is now listed as uncommon and locally
abundant--hence S4. Common things get an S5 score in the ranking
system.
Hill

On Fri, Jan 16, 2015 at 10:50 AM, Derek Bridgehouse
<d.bridgehouse@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
> From my experience monarch butterflies do well on swamp milkweed in NS .and yes it is abundant .
>
> DB
>
>
>> On Jan 16, 2015, at 10:39 AM, Nicholas Hill <fernhillns@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Re. Swamp Milkweed abundant in some parts of NS
>> While there are some large patches of swamp milkweed in some areas, it
>> certainly is not common and is ranked S4 by Atlantic Canada
>> Conservation Data Centre. Around the City, it is absent from wild
>> areas. It comes into stillwater peatlands--fens--around Mount Uniacke,
>> it is patchy in similar riparian fen and rarely on lakeshores in the
>> southwest. It is common in marshes in the Musquodoboit and Stewiacke
>> and probably in many true marshes. I don't think of it as a swamp
>> species because it wouldn't do shade. Because it is patchy and locally
>> abundant, it stands to reason that planting it in the vicinities in
>> between the above areas would help to increase butterfly populations.
>> The common milkweed does well on roadsides and dry old fields. The
>> swamp milkweed will grow in its natural areas as well as in wet
>> meadows that may have been hay fields. It is a good garden plant if
>> the soils don't get too droughty (ie. would need to amend sandy soils
>> with lots of organic).
>> There are lots of other natives that will do for butterflies and MTRI
>> (Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute) has been championing this. Joe
>> Pye is a super native/garden plant and is great addition to the back
>> of flower borders. We need lots of observations by naturalists on
>> which plants attract which pollinators. Does anyone know any group
>> working in the maritimes who keeps track?
>> Nick
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 16, 2015 at 10:03 AM, rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca
>> <rita.paul@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>>>  Interesting Dave
>>> One thing I always wondered if Monarchs only utilized Common Milkweed (
>>> Asclepias  syriaca )
>>> or do they use Swamp Milkweed ( Asclepias pulchra ) as well?
>>> If they use Swamp Milkweed in Nova Scotia there sure isn't any need to plant
>>> any
>>> as there are many acres in the center of the province.
>>> Enjoy the January thaw?
>>> Paul
>>>
>>> On January 16, 2015 at 8:45 AM David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear All,
>>>    Perhaps Ian is away so I will post this for him.
>>> Yt, DW, Kentville
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: David & Alison Webster
>>> To: Ian Manning
>>> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2015 6:53 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Aliens-L] How well-intentioned Americans trying to save
>>> monarch butterflies may actually be destroying them
>>>
>>> Hi Ian,
>>>    Very Interesting. Suggest you post it to the list. The devil, as the
>>> saying goes, is in the details. Hopefully this news will get spread so
>>> gardeners stop planting the wrong kind.
>>> Dave
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Ian Manning
>>> To: David & Alison Webster
>>> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2015 5:01 PM
>>> Subject: Fwd: [Aliens-L] How well-intentioned Americans trying to save
>>> monarch butterflies may actually be destroying them
>>>
>>> Dear David,
>>>
>>> Read this today, and thought you might be interested.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Ian
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> From: Pamela Zevit Adamah Consultants <adamah@telus.net>
>>> Date: 15 January 2015 at 16:12
>>> Subject: [Aliens-L] How well-intentioned Americans trying to save monarch
>>> butterflies may actually be destroying them
>>> To: Issg List < aliens-l@list.auckland.ac.nz>
>>>
>>>
>>> Received this through the folks at Xerces Society for Invertebrate
>>> Conservation. On southwest coastal BC the western population of Monarchs
>>> does breed (rarely) as a transient on its way down to overwinter in
>>> California. This is only due to the presence of milkweed grown in people’s
>>> gardens (a plant that is not endemic in my region of BC). This is
>>> well-intentioned but reminds me of the way in which humans have altered
>>> hummingbird migratory pathways through feeders. We now have a species of
>>> hummingbird (Anna’s) that overwinters here and would normally starve if it
>>> wasn’t for feeders (and I suspect some freeze to death during prolonged cold
>>> snaps).
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have also noted that to promote pollinator conservation some community
>>> gardens or organizations here are using Monarchs as an icon and handing out
>>> packets of milkweed seed for people to plant locally. Rather than promoting
>>> native species that would benefit a range of pollinators.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> “People love the monarch butterfly, with its beautiful orange and black
>>> wings and its endlessly intriguing migratory journey. But some may be loving
>>> it to death. That’s the tragic essence of a new study, which suggests the
>>> efforts of many backyard gardeners to save the creatures may in fact be
>>> unintentionally contributing to their endangerment.”
>>>
>>> http://tinyurl.com/mhcbu28
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Pamela Zevit, R.P. Bio
>>> Adamah Consultants
>>>
>>> Coquitlam BC Canada
>>> 604-939-0523
>>>
>>> adamah@telus.net
>>>
>>> Re-connecting People & Nature
>>>
>>> Science World - Scientists in the Schools Ambassador
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>>
>>> No virus found in this message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 201