KING CITY – Continuing a countywide effort to restore monarch butterfly populations, more than 80 Rotarians representing 22 Rotary clubs in Monterey County gathered at San Lorenzo County Park in King City earlier this month to plant 1.5 acres of a habitat garden.
A total of 300 native plants were planted May 7 by the volunteers, who also included Interact Club students from King City and Gonzales High Schools, as well as County Supervisor Chris Lopez and King City Mayor Mike LeBarre.
Lopez thanked all the Rotarians who “showed up to help plant a beautiful butterfly garden for our migrating monarchs at San Lorenzo Park,” he said on social media afterwards.
“Thank you to all the Central Coast and Central Valley clubs, as well as the Interact clubs of King City and Gonzales who came out to help,” added Lopez.
The King City Butterfly Garden is the second large-scale planting of drought-tolerant plants to support the westward migration of monarch butterflies established in the county by local Rotarians.
The initial 2.5-acre habitat was created last fall at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Salinas, with a third garden planned later this year in North Monterey County.
“In partnership with the Monterey County Parks Department, the intent is to create a network of ‘pit stops’ for the migratory monarch butterfly in Monterey County,” said Kim Lawson, president of the Rotary Club of Salinas. Steinbeck. “These stops will serve as both a feeding and nesting refuge for the monarch’s journey from Mexico to Canada.”
According to the “Monarch Watch” website, the decline in butterfly numbers has declined sharply since the 1980s due to habitat loss, pesticides and GMOs.
In 2020, the number of monarch butterfly populations at the Pacific Grove overwintering site reached an all-time high, triggering recent restoration efforts.
