Saturday, November 14^th, 2020 was a beautiful day. It rained the night before which was helpful for our 16 Carmichael Rotarians, friends and family who met outside of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center at 9:00 a.m. EYNC is right near our old meeting place, Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Carmichael.

Many of us brought shovels and hoes and dressed warm for the occasion. We were met by EYNC volunteers and were led  to their meeting space outside their book and curio shop.

What is important about California is this area is where the Monarchs breed. They lay their eggs only on Milkweed plants. We learned that because Milkweeds are toxic, the Monarchs become toxic to predators and help survival for them. EYNC citizen scientists have been assaying the Monarch’s eggs on Milkweed by looking and counting these eggs each year with a magnifying glass. The number of eggs have diminished from down to almost disappearing in recent years. So the project today was to plant Milkweed (and some other supporting indigenous plants) to attract the Monarchs.

We broke into teams of three or four and followed our EYNC (Citizen Scientist) leaders to about a mile into the park and there we planted over 40 plants. We dug holes, took 1 gallon sized plants, planted them, filled in with dirt, put newspapers around the plants, covered the newspapers with leaves and placed a wire screen with a stake around the planted plants to avoid them being eaten by deer. Then we filled in trenches were the drip water lines were laid. And we were done in about 3 hours!

Perhaps the best part of the day was the sumptuous lunch donated by Togo’s restaurant at 4100 Manzanita Ave, Carmichael – sandwiches, an apple, chips and soft drinks. We understand that Togo's has been very generous in donating for many projects at EYNC in the past – kudos to them.

Although we felt a little tired and wet from our endeavors, it was great to know that our work helped in the preservation of those beautiful Monarch Butterflies. Photos below:

FOR MORE INFORMANTION - GO TO THEIR WEBSITE SacNatureCenter.net - email info@SacNatureCenter.net

(photos above by Keri Bauer)