Start Seeing Monarchs Farm Bureau to Celebrate 'Pollinator Week' June 21-26
A third of the food and drinks individuals consume depends on pollination. As a keystone group, the survival of many other plant and animal species depends on pollinators for their survival. Pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, birds, and bats.
However, pollinator numbers have declined steadily due to habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation as well as insecticide, pesticide, disease, parasite, and invasive plant pressure.
At the end of June, Cook County Farm Bureau will celebrate “Pollinator Week” and celebrate the connection between pollinators and the food we eat. Pollinator Week materials will also direct interested individuals to visit https://bit.ly/33g5hL1 to learn more about creating your own pollinator garden, even if you have limited space.
As pollinator habitat declines, this fall Farm Bureau is creating a “Monarch Waystation,” a stopping point for monarchs as each fall hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to the mountains in central Mexico for the winter. They return in spring, specifically in May.
Farm Bureau’s Monarch Waystation will also be a pollinator garden and will provide habitat for a variety of bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and flies. The garden will be located along Salford Avenue next to the Farm Bureau building and will provide a site for both pollinators and the community members wishing to enjoy the plants and pollinators.
Farm Bureau leaders, volunteers, and staff will install the garden this summer. A portion of the plant materials will be provided by the GROWMARK Pollinator Program. After construction and installation of the garden, the garden will be registered with Monarch Watch as an official Monarch Waystation.