Birds of Urquhart Butterfly Garden and Canal Park

Bill Lamond

Free Workshop Saturday August 13^th at 10am

Bill Lamond is a well known Ontario Naturalist and an exceptional birder who can identify the many birds that are seen at the Urquhart Butterfly Garden and Canal Park.  

Join Bill for this Nature Walk where he will be able to share tips for identifying birds and interesting notes about their lives and migration. Bring your binoculars because Bills’s eagle eyes might spot some rare species

 Bill is not only an expert in birds but also in herps, moths, butterflies, dragonflies and plants.  This nature walk is sure to keep you entertained.

The session is free and open to all.  You are requested to bring a chair and wear a hat. You will spend 1 hour in the full sun of the garden and Canal Park.  The event will be cancelled in the event of rain.

The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is immediately adjacent to Centennial Park and the Hamilton Air Force Association at 128 King St. E in Dundas.

There is plenty of free parking and the location is easily accessible by public transportation or bicycle.

Sponsored  by the Dougher Foundation & Hamilton Naturalist’ Club

For more information contact:

Joanna Chapman
jchapman@295.ca
905-627-8917

Dragonflies & Their Kin

Brenda Van Ryswyk

Free Workshop Saturday July 30th, at 10 am

Brenda Van Ryswyk is a Natural Heritage Ecologist and a well known dragonfly expert.  Brenda will lead a walk through the garden where she will share her knowledge on the astonishing lives of dragonflies & their kin.

Dragonflies & Damselflies (Ondonata) are quite astonishing creatures that you may have noticed hovering in the garden or zipping through the air.  As we walk through the garden Brenda will share her knowledge while she shows how to locate and identify dragonflies & their kin.

The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is adjacent to water and is an excellent location for dragonfly viewing. 

The session is open to all, and you will leave with a new knowledge and understanding of dragonflies and damselflies (Ondonata) at the Urquhart Butterfly Garden.  Saturday, July30th at 10 am.

Please bring a chair and wear a hat as we will spend 1 hour in the full sun of the garden. The event will be cancelled in the event of rain.

The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is immediately adjacent to Centennial Park and the Hamilton Air Force Association at 128 King St. E in Dundas.

There is plenty of free parking and the location is easily accessible by public transportation or bicycle.Sponsored  by the Dougher Foundation & Hamilton Naturalist’ Club

What would Fred and Norah Urquhart say?

On Thursday July 21, 2022 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the Monarch Butterfly to the Endangered Species list.  This is a tragedy that could and should be stopped.

The Urquhart Butterfly Garden – the first Municipal Butterfly Garden in Canada – pays tribute to the lifelong research of Butterflies and their migration by Fred and Norah Urquhart.
Over 38 years of tagging Monarch Butterflies, starting in 1937 with Fred, culminated with the 1975 discovery of millions of Monarch butterflies in the Neovolcanic Plateau, Mexico.  This is where eastern butterflies over winter.  Just imagine these beautiful delicate creatures undertaking such an arduous journey!

What would the Urquharts say now?  
I think the Urquharts would say “let’s get to work!  We must save the Monarch from extinction “

What can you do?  Let’s get to work!
* Plant milkweed, and native plants such as asters, goldenrod and coneflowers.  Monarchs depend on the nectar for energy. 

* Lobby your councillors to ensure road allowances are full of native plants including milkweed.

* Never use herbicides or pesticides.
* Encourage and support community native pollinator gardens.  

* Stay informed.