Yorktown's Monarch Butterfly committee scheduled a cold sowing event on Sunday, January 17th at 11 AM. Families were welcome to help in the milkweed seeding at the town's Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Willow Park.
Volunteers planted milkweed plants that nourish monarch caterpillars. The butterfly sanctuary is intended to sustain the monarchs as they migrate north and south to their summer and winter habitats in North America.
“Urban sprawl has a detrimental effect on the monarch butterfly by disturbing areas where it can feed and reproduce. This new butterfly sanctuary represents our community’s effort to maintain a healthy environment for people and the natural world,” said Supervisor Matt Slater.
Willow Park was chosen as the site for the butterfly sanctuary because it is a passive recreation area that is not used by club sport teams or by the town’s recreation programs. The milkweed planting is the first phase of work at Willow Park. Town officials hope to begin work on a community garden near the butterfly sanctuary in 2021.
“We felt that we could ease back into providing recreational facilities for kids to use,” said Supervisor Slater of the reopening.
Visit the Town of Yorktpwn Website for more information