Around & About – Happenings Around the Peninsula February 2022
Peninsula Girl Scouts learn about Monarch Butterflies from Kirsten Poulin, whose home has been designated a Monarch Butterfly Waystation. Photos courtesy of the Poulin family. + A waystation for butterflies Kirsten Poulin began raising Western Monarch butterflies at the start of the COVID pandemic. Since then, she has released over 500 monarchs and her Peninsula home has been designated a Monarch Butterfly Waystation. She has also enlisted neighbors to breed the endangered butterflies. Poulin was prompted to begin raising Monarchs after learning their population dropped by 97 percent between 1980 and 2010. During the winter of 2018–2019, the population plummeted to fewer than 30,000. Loss of habitat and widespread use of pesticides are blamed for their decline. Poulin began by planting milkweed to attract the butterflies, but soon learned only three to five percent of monarch eggs survive in the outdoors. So she decided to nurture the eggs inside her home. The eggs are the size of a pinhead, and hatch after about four days. Then, over a period of two weeks, they increase in size by 2000 percent, before transforming into a chrysalis. Caterpillars need fresh, healthy Milkweed daily…
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