Monarch Butterfly Project 2005
The Nottingham Live Music festival as a theme every year develops an Awareness Project
highlighting a concern from around the world and encouraging people to think of
ecological issues that affect each and every one of us. As a theme this year we
have chosen the plight of the Monarch Butterfly and their annual migration.
Every autumn a large part of the world's Monarch Butterfly population migrates to
Mexico from Northern America where the conditions are perfect for them to hibernate
for the winter. These butterflies are incredibly sensitive and vulnerable to weather
fluctuations and climate change. In recent years, bitter cold, severe rainstorms
and droughts have taken their toll on the delicate creatures whilst on their journey
and experts acknowledge that the number of Monarch Butterflies is down by as much
as 75 percent. This is also due to the destruction of their natural habitat in their
overwintering grounds in Mexico through such activities as illegal logging. Please
follow this link to find out more about their population decline and why this is
happening.
The Nottingham Live Music Festival in 2005 approached 6 different local primary
schools and commissioned them to make hundreds of butterflies. The children will
created a fantastic number of these butterflies which were displayed around the
Arboretum Park on the days of the festival creating a nice summery theme as well
as highlighting the troubles of the Monarch Butterfly population.
To find out which schools participated in this project please go to the supporters
page where you will find a list of the schools concerned.
The links below can be used by you and your children to find out more interesting
facts about the Monarch Butterfly.
A great website for kids, really informative with some fantastic pictures:
www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarch_butterfly.htm
A link to The British Butterfly Conservation Society:
www.butterfly-conservation.org
An extensive site dedicated to monitoring and researching Monarch Butterflies:
www.monarchwatch.org/
Some top tips on how to encourage more butterflies into your garden:
www.geocities.com/farfalla247/butterflygarden.html