Vancouver joins Richmond, District of North Vancouver as newest B.C. Butterflyway community

VANCOUVER — Starting February 4, the David Suzuki Foundation is kicking off the third year of its national Butterflyway program by recruiting volunteer Rangers in three B.C. communities: Richmond, District of North Vancouver and Vancouver.

“Wild pollinators such as butterflies, bees and birds are crucial to human survival, but climate change and widespread pesticide use are compromising their habitat and food sources,” the Foundation’s B.C. Butterflyway team lead Winnie Hwo said. “The national Butterflyway Project helps people step up efforts to help pollinators find food and shelter.”

This year, Vancouver Butterflyway Rangers will join Richmond and North Shore Rangers to:

  • Plant pollinator-friendly native wildflowers in and around their properties and neighbourhoods
  • Encourage friends, neighbours, school communities and partners to do the same – such as the new pollinator plot set for VIA Rail’s Pacific Central Station in Vancouver
  • Help build municipal- and neighbourhood-scale highways of pollinator habitat
  • As citizen scientists, identify prevalent butterfly species and the locations they frequent

“If you’re passionate about gardening and protecting pollinators, apply to become a Butterflyway Ranger,” Hwo said. “You’ll make a real difference for critical species humans depend on for food and well-being every day.”

To accommodate B.C.’s early planting season, B.C. Butterflyway Ranger recruitment begins Monday, February 4. Selected Rangers will be notified before the end of February and will join a one-day training program on Saturday, March 9, at the UBC Botanical Garden.

– 30 –

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Winnie Hwo: winnie@davidsuzuki.org, 778-866-6371

About the Butterflyway Project:

The Butterflyway Project is a citizen-led movement that brings nature home to neighbourhoods throughout Canada, one butterfly-friendly planting at a time. The Butterflyway Project began in 2017 in Markham, Montreal, Richmond, Toronto and Victoria, with teams of volunteer Butterflyway Rangers in each community. Their mission: plant networks of native wildflowers in yards, schoolyards, streets and parks. To establish a Butterflyway, Rangers must plant at least a dozen pollinator patches in their neighbourhood. Each Butterflyway gets an official sign and recognition on the David Suzuki Foundation website and maps. Over the past two years, Butterflyway Rangers have connected with local schools, city agencies and homeowners, planting thousands of wildflowers in hundreds of pollinator patches, establishing Butterflyways in nine neighbourhoods and cities.