A chat with Citizen of the Year Val Morton
Longtime resident and frequent Watershed garden-column contributor Val Morton was recently awarded the Lions Bay's Citizen of the Year award for her work with indigenous plants, the Mary Comber Miles Garden and spearheading butterfly-friendly gardens in the village.
The Butterflyway Project was featured in an article back in April, and recently we sat down with Val to discuss her work, and the story behind the beautiful banners now fluttering around the village.
Watershed: What inspired you to look into the butterflyway project to begin with, and why is it important?
Val Morton: I had been helping tend the Mary Comber Miles Indigenous Plant Garden on Lions Bay Avenue for about 10 years and Mary inspired me to take an interest in the importance of preserving native plants. Over the years she had noticed that within the village there were more and more hybrids, cultivars and non-native plants being grown, and she was interested in the ‘regreening’ process that was happening world-wide. I was also influenced by the work that was being done within Howe Sound by Ruth Simons and others to have Howe Sound designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Region. I thought the Butterflyway Project would be a way that I could make a small contribution to these efforts and, in turn, possibly inspire others to do the same.
Watershed: What's new with the Butterflyway program this year?
VM: We have had four new gardens added to the Lions Bay Butterflyway so far this year. Twelve gardens are required in order to qualify as a Suzuki Foundation Butterflyway and we now have about 20 in the village. The idea is to have connected pollinator-friendly patches to allow pollinators, including butterflies, bees, flies and hummingbirds, to be able to move from place to place to find nectar sources. Butterflies also need specific host plants that the caterpillars can feed on. We are also trying to have blooming throughout the various seasons and we are encouraging gardeners to choose plants based on the season in which they bloom. We hope to be able to help other gardeners increase their number of specific desirable plants by providing them with plants divided from existing plants, and collecting seeds for a seed exchange in the fall.
Watershed: The village banners are currently festooned in butterflyway regalia. How did that come about?
VM: The Lions Bay Arts Council was responsible for designing and producing the beautiful Butterflyway banners. I was asked by Ute Philips to suggest some flower and pollinator combinations that could be used on the banners. I gave her a list and a DSF Butterflyway graphic, and Jonathan Wreglesworth created the four different designs. We are very pleased that the Arts Council chose to highlight our project in this was, and we thank Ute and Jonathan sincerely for all their work on the banners.
Watershed: Is there a list of butterflyway flowers that are native to, or do particularly well in Lions Bay gardens?
VM: The Suzuki Foundation has created a list of potential plants for our area and we have tried to plant as many of them as possible. It is a bit difficult to find pure native plants because many of the plant nurseries sell mainly hybrids and cultivars that have been bred for beauty, rather than specifically for their benefits to native pollinators. I have noticed that the bees and flies really love some plants and ignore others. They don’t seem to waste their time on plants that don’t have what they need. Some plants that are particularly popular with pollinators in Lions Bay are: fringe cup, penstemon, nodding onion, hardhack, lupine, Douglas aster, and Oregon sunshine. This is just a short list, and if anyone is interested they should feel free to contact me and I can provide them with a more comprehensive list and some plants to start their pollinator garden.
Watershed: What does it mean to you to win Citizen of the Year?
VM: It was lovely to get this award and I am honoured that I was nominated. I have appreciated all the enthusiastic support that I have received over the past three years as a Butterflyway ranger. I have made many wonderful Lions Bay friends and thank them all for taking part in supporting our native ecosystem. I am also thankful that my neighbour, Hana Boye, has taken the Butterflyway ranger training with the Suzuki Foundation and is also actively involved in our Lions Bay program. Younger adults will help keep the program going in the future and also provide a source of inspiration and new ideas.
Watershed: Anything else that local residents should know about the butterflyway project?
VM: Although Lions Bay generally does not have a large population of butterflies, and this year has to date seen a decline in butterflies in BC, the Butterflyway project is about all pollinators. Many people are looking for a way to help restore healthy native ecosystems. This is a positive program that gives everyone a chance to make a small contribution. Many small contributions add together to make a large difference. It isn’t necessary to completely remake your garden. Any little patch is a benefit to the whole. It can also be a way to help children of all ages get involved in a positive way with nature. All across Canada and the world, people are stepping up to try to help restore healthy ecosystems.
If you want to know more about turning your garden into a butterflyway, check out the Suzuki Foundation, and be sure to visit the Mary Comber Miles Indigenous Plant Garden on Lions Bay Avenue just below the highway.
Have thoughts to share about gardens and butterflies? Leave your comments below, or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca
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What an inspiring article and lovely initiative. We are lucky to live with giving, creative, and humble humans. Leading calmly by example. I for one am inspired to dedicate a part of our yard to this.