Pollinator gardens, which can include plants attractive to bees and butterflies, have become quite popular these days. Most public gardens and arboretums have a featured pollinator garden, and people around the country concerned about dwindling populations of bees and butterflies because of stories in the news are seeking advice on how to help raise pollinator numbers. But just like many other stories about how to help endangered species, the bee and butterfly issue is fraught with controversy.
Because science is something that evolves over time, and living things–whether human, animal or plant–are complicated, scientific understanding of how to control or restore populations often changes with time. In the case of the monarch butterfly, research done by some experts is now colliding with research done by others. Depending on which publications or blogs you subscribe to, you may see one opinion or another. However, your colleague or friend might see another, and when the two of you talk, you might wonder if you’re doing the right thing, and if not, what you should do. I have presented three schools of thought currently being generated in blogs and online newsletters or magazines so that you will know much of what is being discussed with regard to saving the monarch butterfly. Continue reading →
Filed under: featured | Tagged: Bio-Integral Resource Center, Common Sense pest control, Entomology Today, Monarch butterfly, Science magazine | Leave a comment »
