June 25th, 2020

Are you interested in making an impact on the environment and the species that live around us, all while physical distancing and connecting with nature?

Over the summer, our outdoor education department is hosting Monarch Madness for all WRDSB students and families. We want our community to help us find monarch butterflies and the milkweed plants that they depend on. Why? Monarch butterfly populations have been in decline for approximately 25 years, and are now classified as endangered in Canada.

You can help make a difference!

Having our students and families report this information will help our staff decide where to plant more milkweed in the fall.

This activity can be done from a community park, schoolyard, backyard, front yard, balcony, porch or window. With a few simple resources, everyone can observe these striking orange-and-black creatures.

Just like our Backyard Bird Count and Backyard Bug Blitz, this activity is free, fun and easy. All participants that submit observations will earn badges based on whether you have found monarchs, milkweed plants, and even monarch eggs and larvae.

Who knows, maybe your school may host the next Monarch Waystation.

For more information on the event and how to participate, please visit our Outdoor and Environmental Education website.

We invite you to share pictures of monarchs, caterpillars and milkweed that you find on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #WRDSBMonarchMadness.