Manitoba's Marvelous Monarchs!
By Doug Collicutt
Monarch butterflies have always been a part of my life. The
first of these migratory butterflies to arrive back in Manitoba in June
herald the real start of summer for me. As kids, my brother and I would
traipse the fields along Omand's Creek in Winnipeg, butterfly nets in
hand, with jars in our pockets to hold our quarry. In June the first
adult monarchs would arrive and a couple of weeks thereafter we'd check
out all the milkweed patches for caterpillars. Collecting and raising caterpillars, watching their
miraculous transformation to adult butterflies, and releasing the fresh
monarchs back to the skies was just something we did, naturally. I wasn't
aware of how big a deal it was until my own children got into the school
system. As they mixed with other kids and teachers, I began to see that
the experiences that I had enjoyed as a kid, with butterflies and other
critters (and was passing on to my kids) were something of a novelty
to others. And that disturbed me. It bothered me enough to get me involved
with my kids' teachers and with their school as a whole, and it bothered
me enough to set the wheels in motion that have lead to what you're
visiting now, NatureNorth.com. The critters and activities that I have
taken for granted all my life weren't part of the education "system".
At NatureNorth.com, we'd like to help change that.
What's so important about a kid witnessing a big
black, white and yellow-striped caterpillar transform to a
jade-green chrysalis, then wait patiently to see the big
black and orange butterfly pop out and fly off? It just
involves the future of the planet, that's all! Far too many
people are removed from the many miracles of life that
abound in our own back yards. Just as so many have come to
see food as something that comes in a cardboard box or in
plastic wrap, and have lost contact with what sustains them,
so too have they lost sight of the how the world works and
how our actions upon it affect other living things. The
wonder and appreciation that only direct contact with
another living thing can instill in a child has lasting
effects. Caring, for other creatures and their - and our -
environment will not develop properly without such
exposure. We owe it to the future stewards of our planet to
take the time and effort to make sure they don't miss out on
all the small miracles that surround them.
Carry on for More about Monarchs!