Webinar: The Wild and Wonderful World of Butterflies

Join Jessica Linton for an evening devoted to The Wild and Wonderful World of Butterflies in NANPS 2021 Speaker Series

Date: Thursday February 25, 2021, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Location: online

Jessica will talk about the biology of butterflies and the important roles they play in our natural environment. In this presentation you will learn about:
-the fascinating biology of butterflies and their different life history strategies
-ecosystem services butterflies provide
-how to make your garden a functional habitat for butterflies 12 months of the year

Jessica Linton is a Senior Biologist at Natural Resource Solutions Inc. (NRSI) with over 13 years of project management experience related to species at risk and pollinating insects. She manages a wide range of projects for NRSI that encompass scientific research, recovery planning, impact assessment, and developing conservation strategies. Her main area of expertise is butterfly ecology, although she has a strong general knowledge of other arthropods, especially pollinating insects, and other taxonomic groups. Jessica has a Federal Ministerial appointment to Canada’s Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Arthropod Species Specialist Subcommittee, she founded and Chairs the Ontario Butterfly Species at Risk Recovery and Implementation Team, and she is the President of the Toronto Entomologist’s Association. Jessica also leads annual ecotours to the Monarch overwintering grounds in Mexico for Worldwide Quest Nature Tours.

Below is a video of the talk

This webinar was presented with support from Faith & the Common Good, David Suzuki Foundation, Live Green Toronto and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.

Thank you, Jessica, and thank you to all our participants for your questions and emails!

One topic that was brought up from our viewers was the widely cultivated, non-native Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii), which is invasive in parts of the US and potentially greater areas due to the effects of climate change.

As we promote native plants that have multiple, long established ecological functions in their location, please know that NANPS only offers locally sourced native plants at our plant sales, and our seed exchange ‘Seedex’ only offers species native to North America.

For more information on native plants that serve as great butterfly and moth larval host plants and nectar sources, be sure to check out these links:

In Canada:

The David Suzuki Foundation’s Lists for Eastern & Western Canada:
https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-…​
https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-…​

Carolinian Canada’s Guide:
https://caroliniancanada.ca/guide/art…​

In the US:

The National Wildlife Federation’s Butterfly-Native Plant Finder, which is based on the research of Dr. Doug Tallamy:
https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/​