How to make your backyard better for monarch butterflies, pollinators – NorthJersey.com

Last month, Montclair’s Northeast Earth Coalition announced that the town was named a “Monarch City” by Monarch U.S.A., an organization that promotes the protection of the butterfly, which was placed on the Endangered List in July. Montclair is the second in New Jersey (after Long Branch) and the fifth in the Mid-Atlantic region to win the designation.

Like Monarchs, which are just one small link in the ecosystem, the environmental coalition’s latest award is only one example of its ongoing work to save pollinators − the birds, bees, bats and insects who create the habitats that many animals, including humans, rely on for food and shelter and whose numbers are in steep decline. Monarchs, whose numbers have fallen by about 97% in the past 50 years, and honeybees, who lost nearly half their populations from 2020 to 2021, are just the most well-known example of what some scientists are calling the insect apocalypse. Many species of birds and bats are also threatened.

Montclair’s environmental leadership began two decades ago, when volunteers started going from backyard to backyard to help Montclair residents create natural habitats. In 2008, the town was certified by the National Wildlife Federation as the state’s first wildlife community; it is re-certified regularly, most recently in 2019. In 2020, it was named New Jersey’s host town for the the Northeast Pollinator Pathway Project, in recognition of its pesticide-free corridors of native plants.

Trina Paulus, the nationally-known Butterfly Lady and author of the 1972 bestseller “Hope for the Flowers,” lives in town and releases Monarchs at an annual Butterfly Festival in Crane Park, along with other residents who raise them from the eggs they find on their milkweed. This year’s release is Aug. 20 at 3 p.m.

The coalition maintains organic vegetable gardens at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Crane Park and First Congregational Church, which supply Toni’s Kitchen with more than 1,000 pounds of organic produce for the food insecure. Brookdale Park is also a beneficiary of coalition volunteers, who have replaced invasive plants there with a pollinator garden. The group has created wildlife habitats and pollinator gardens at many of the public schools, working alongside students and teachers.

Inspired by the coalition’s work, this spring the town council passed the Jose German-Gomez Native Species Act, named after the founder of the Northeast Earth Coalition, which mandates that 70% of vegetation planted on town property be native to the region, since native plants and trees have evolved to be uniquely adapted to provide crucial food and habitat for pollinators. 

The group also fought successfully to scale back the use of gas-powered leaf blowers on residential property, because of their toxic fumes, noise pollution, contribution to climate change, and dispersion of the beneficial biome of organic matter and topsoil that harbor insects.

A composting program through local houses of worship will launch by the end of the summer.

Russ Stubbles, founder of Monarch City USA, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to have Montclair with us. Your people are doing all kinds of good things for the environment.”

Despite all the initiatives in town, there’s still much to be done, said German-Gomez. Primary is educating homeowners about how to incorporate native plants into their gardens and what practices to avoid and to support pollinators. Here’s his advice on how you can make your own backyard more pollinator-friendly.

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No-spray zone

One of the biggest threats to pollinators is the widespread use of herbicides and pesticides on lawns, and spraying toxic chemicals for mosquitos and other pests, said German-Gomez. Such chemicals cannot target just one type of insect; they are deadly to all insects, birds, bats and butterflies.

This spring, German-Gomez said, Montclair was “buzzing” with pollinators − “It was so beautiful and amazing.” But by summer, coalition volunteers noticed a near-absence of insects in the town’s gardens. It coincided with some heavy advertising by a mosquito-spraying company; there was a billboard on Gates Avenue across from Crane Park; several small lawn signs in the park and more on several 4th Ward corners.

“They spray from the air with a powerful nozzle that spreads the chemicals in the neighbor’s yard as well as the customer’s,” said German. “We saw how an aggressive marketing campaign by a mosquito-spraying company decimated the pollinator population.”

On social media, Montclair homeowners also complained about the mosquito spraying. Essex County does aerial spraying for mosquitos, if other mosquito control measures don’t work, according to the county website.

While it’s legal for residents to hire licensed pest contractors to spray for mosquitos, experts say it is not only harmful to pollinators but ineffective against mosquitos. According to Deborah Landau, an entomologist and conservation scientist at The Nature Conservancy, less than .00001% of the sprayed pesticide actually reaches mosquitos; spraying is more likely to kill butterflies, bees and ladybugs. Mosquitos also quickly become resistant to the pyrethroids in the treatments.

Instead, remove standing water and, if necessary, using “mosquito dunks,” inexpensive and effective devices placed in water that use bacteria to kill only mosquito larvae, said Landau.

The fight against spotted lanternflies is also a threat to pollinators. A recent Rutgers study showed that the three pesticides most effective at killing spotted lanternflies also kill pollinators. A benign alternative is scraping the egg masses from the trees, stones and hard surfaces where the bugs lay them in the fall, before they hatch in the spring, and to remove Ailanthus trees, their preferred host.

German-Gomez said that herbicides used by many local landscaping companies are also deadly to insects and birds, add toxins to our water supply, along with being dangerous to pets and children. On Facebook, residents also complained about neighbors who employ landscapers who spray toxic chemicals that waft onto their property.

Go native with trees and plants

Planting native plants and trees is vital; they’re naturally attractive and accessible to bees, birds and insects, because they’ve evolved in tandem for millennium. They are easy to grow, require little watering, help with groundwater runoff, and are perennial. A few that are recommended for Montclair’s climate and soil are bluebell, columbine, woodland phlox and wild violet, the state flower, German-Gomez said. Consider planting an oak tree, which provides food and protection for countless animals and insects, more than any other North American species.

Don’t forget the milkweed, the only plant Monarch butterfly larvae can live on. Monarchs migrating up from Mexico in the spring can lay their eggs only on its leaves; on their return trip in the fall, they can feed on its nectar, along with other pollinators. (Asters, which are late-blooming, are also helpful for fueling the monarchs’ 3,000-mile journey to Mexico in the fall.)

There are three varieties of milkweed native to New Jersey: swamp milkweed, common milkweed and butterfly weed. Common milkweed multiplies rapidly so may not be the best choice for manicured gardens; consult with someone at a nursery for advice on the best type for your garden’s conditions. You can even grow milkweed and other native plants in pots, German-Gomez adds. They are easy to grow from seed; simply sprinkle on the ground and press them lightly into the soil during the fall.

Milkweed may even prove to be a weapon against spotted lanternflies, since the plant is toxic to all but Monarch larvae, who are protected from predators by eating the leaves. While native species have evolved to avoid the plant, researchers are hopeful that spotted lanternfly, an exotic species, might find it attractive, and it can serve as a natural pesticide.

While they are the best-known, Monarchs aren’t the only butterflies that need help, said German, who advocates planting a variety of native plants to support all species. For example, pipe vine is the host plant for the endangered black swallowtail butterfly, which is native to New Jersey.

Leave some leaves

Finally, environmentalists are asking homeowners to not blow or rake all the leaves from their gardens in the fall. “Leave some corner or section of your garden with all the leaves; they provide crucial habitat for birds and insects, as well as native butterflies like the black swallowtail, which doesn’t migrate,” said German-Gomez. “Blowing all the leaves away lessens their chances of survival.” Set the lawn mower to mulch to provide some protection for tiny critters; you’ll also be replenishing the soil with essential nutrients, no fertilizer needed.

Likewise, don’t denude your garden once it’s bloomed, he said. Leave a few dried flowers to provide seeds for overwintering birds.

For help bringing more pollinators and natural beauty to your backyard, or to volunteer, check the website and social media for the Northeast Earth coalition.