Monarch butterfly classified as endangered species

With the migratory monarch butterfly now classified as endangered, one Barrie resident is showing others how to make a difference, turning her backyard into a pollinator sanctuary.

"I want to defrag our suburbs. I want to add back a little bit of habitat to our world," said Bonnie North.

North is one of eight certified Monarch Waystations in Barrie and one of more than 1,200 in Ontario.

"To attract monarch butterflies specifically, you want to focus on nectar, pollen, and the plant milkweed itself is the only plant the monarch larva eat," said North.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has now categorized the migratory monarch as endangered, adding it to its 'red list' of threatened species for the first time.

"It is good in terms of monarch conservation to bring awareness to the state of the species in North America, but it ultimately doesn't have much teeth on the ground in Canada," said Ryan Norris, a professor in the department of integrative biology at the University of Guelph.

Ultimately, Norris said it's up to all levels of government to make a change here in Canada.

"The federal government needs to list the monarch as endangered, and that recommendation has been on the table of the government since 2006," said Norris. "We do know what benefit food pollinators provide for us in terms of pollinating food crops and stuff, but it goes beyond that. Biodiversity is essential for life on earth, to be sustainable long term."

At Innisfil's ideaLab and Library, it's just a matter of days before two of its chrysalis hatch into one of the most recognizable butterflies in the world.

"Last year, we were able to release 70 butterflies, and we tag them to see if they make it to Mexico at the end of the season," said library services supervisor Shannon Kelly-Robb.

Its monarch nursery is a labour of love, helping the iconic orange and black butterfly now fluttering closer to extinction.

"When the monarch lays its eggs, it only lays its eggs on milkweed, so we keep milkweed at both of our branches, and we have to cultivate our eggs from there," said Robb.

According to Monarch Watch, anyone can turn things like home gardens, schools and parks into monarch habitats.

Complete information on how to register is available here.