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Riverdale Press article
New York City to spray pesticides. Butterfly conservationist DeCesare says to stay off the block.
Sonia Rincón on ABC7 reports on NYC spraying pesticides in environmentally sensitive areas.
Riverdale Press
Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary: Urban oasis protects monarchs and inspires conservation
Posted July 19, 2024
Once a place for nuns, the Inwood religious sanctuary has become a place to learn about and conserve butterflies, like the monarch.
Once a place for nuns, the Inwood religious sanctuary has become a place to learn about and conserve butterflies, like the monarch.
GARY JEAN-JUSTE
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by Alaska St. Clair
Keith De Cesare, summarizing the garden nestled along the corner of the former Inwood religious sanctuary, Church of the Good Shepherd, called it “a sanctuary within a sanctuary.”
There’s a reason for that.
The new sanctuary, dedicated not to nuns but bugs, is a project founded in 2019 by De Cesare and his wife, Adriana, with the help of many volunteers. Five years later, it has developed into a beloved community green space, proving more vital than ever as the eastern monarch butterfly population faces unprecedented decline.
In the 300-square-foot garden, where there were once several hundred monarchs, there are now only several dozen.
This crisis is primarily due to human activities like pesticide use, climate change and overdevelopment, all of which devastate the monarch’s breeding grounds and sole food source during the larval stage: milkweed.
In response, butterfly gardeners on Governors Island have declared 2024 “The Year of Milkweed,” encouraging New Yorkers to grow this essential flora in backyard gardens, windowsills or wherever a small plant could flourish.
The Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary shares this vision, with lead gardener De Cesare offering pre-potted milkweed sprouts ready for visitors to take home. On his own, he sometimes partakes in what is considered a form of guerrilla gardening — finding any suitable place milkweed might grow and letting the seeds take flight.
Designed specifically to boost monarch numbers, the sanctuary employs an innovative habitat management system. By placing fine mesh bags over caterpillars to shield them from predators like parasitic flies and wasps, De Cesare can fully invert the young butterflies’ rate of survival from 2 percent in the wild to 98 percent.
Monarchs are unique among butterflies for their annual migration from Mexico to Canada and back — a 4,000-mile round trip. New York City lies along the Eastern Flyway, a crucial monarch and bird migrational route along the Hudson River. Without sufficient habitat along this route, there is a risk of migratory collapse. Monarchs are also an indicator species, meaning their decline reflects larger ecological imbalances.
De Cesare said the Inwood/Riverdale region, with its lawn-dominated monoculture, lacks the native plant diversity monarchs thrive upon. In contrast, the sanctuary teems with both milkweed and pollinator flowers like echinacea and sunflowers that tower far above passerby, adding a sense of storybook wonder to a busy street corner.
This magic holds a special allure for children, including the De Cesares’ three, who regularly participate in garden activities along with friends and classmates. The sanctuary doubles as an educational hub, with initiatives such as school enclosures and caterpillar adoption kits, which allow kids to observe the butterfly life cycle firsthand. Exhibits at the recent “Pollinator Palooza” in Riverdale and the upcoming New York City Flower and Garden Show complement their outreach efforts.
To De Cesare, this advocacy helps foster the idea “that kids will grow up and take these experiences with them into adult life as conservationists or stewards of the environment.”
While other waystations exist around the city, notably in Central Park and on Governors Island, De Cesare envisions a larger network of sanctuaries through city grants or park partnerships. This opportunity may come in September if the monarch gains threatened status under the Endangered Specis Act, potentially unlocking federal protection.
In the meantime, community efforts remain the most potent force for change. The Inwood sanctuary envisions further expansion but, on a shoestring budget, relies on community volunteering and donations. An active GoFundMe campaign, supported by groups like Riverdale’s Art for Aid, aims to fund additional habitat restoration nets and a walk-in observation enclosure for future visitors to interact more closely with butterflies.
“The garden is just a small part of our mission,” De Cesare said. The broader mission, through the monarch’s struggle, is to connect communities with “a larger battle for biodiversity and environmental health.”
[The idea] is that kids will grow up and take these experiences with them into adult life as conservationists or stewards of the environment.”
Keith De Cesare, Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary
Sonia Rincón on ABC7 reports on NYC spraying pesticides in environmentally sensitive areas.
New York City to spray pesticides. Butterfly conservationist DeCesare says to stay off the block.
Sonia Rincón on ABC7 reports on NYC spraying pesticides in environmentally sensitive areas.
NYC to begin spraying pesticides to prevent West Nile Virus
Conservation group says, "Stay Off Our Block"
INWOOD, Manhattan (WABC) -- Beginning Monday, the city will spray pesticides to prevent the spread of mosquitoes and any diseases they may carry. However, the spray can unintentionally harm some of nature's most beautiful creatures.
Monarch butterflies have a sacred space on the grounds of an Inwood church.
"We created a nature sanctuary on the grounds of a sanctuary. So it's a sanctuary in a sanctuary," said Keith De Cesare.
De Cesare, Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary Founder protects the butterflies through every stage of their lives - from eggs on milkweed leaves to tiny caterpillars that grow quickly as they gnaw their way through those leaves - to jewelry-like chrysalises and finally the butterflies that serve as crucial pollinators. They are endangered and vulnerable at every stage, but the sanctuary cannot protect them from every danger.
The city is planning on spraying in several Manhattan neighborhoods, including Inwood to kill mosquitos spreading West Nile Virus, which according to the Health Department's website has been more prevalent in the city this summer.
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed he was recently in the hospital and is recovering from a case of it.
At the butterfly sanctuary, De Cesare says he understands the city needs to control the mosquito population, but he's asking for an exemption of sorts.
"Just don't come down this block. Stay off the corner," he said.
The city says the pesticides it uses are safe for people and pets, but suggests that anyone who might be sensitive to the spray stay inside, close the windows and keep the AC on.
Other neighbors are also hoping that can be avoided.
"We're killing by trying to contain mosquitoes. We are also killing other insects that are beneficial," said Bobby Velonis.
"We need them as pollinators. And we need them for the beauty and the joy they bring," De Cesare added.
New York City to spray pesticides. Butterfly conservationist DeCesare says to stay off the block.
New York City to spray pesticides. Butterfly conservationist DeCesare says to stay off the block.
New York City to spray pesticides. Butterfly conservationist DeCesare says to stay off the block.
New York City to spray pesticides to help prevent spread of mosquitoes, diseases they may carry
Sonia Rincón ABC7
Monday, August 26, 2024
NYC to begin spraying pesticides to prevent West Nile Virus
Lucy Yang has more.
INWOOD, Manhattan (WABC) -- Beginning Monday, the city will spray pesticides to prevent the spread of mosquitoes and any diseases they may carry. However, the spray can unintentionally harm some of nature's most beautiful creatures.
Monarch butterflies have a sacred space on the grounds of an Inwood church.
"We created a nature sanctuary on the grounds of a sanctuary. So it's a sanctuary in a sanctuary," said Keith De Cesare.
De Cesare, Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary Founder protects the butterflies through every stage of their lives - from eggs on milkweed leaves to tiny caterpillars that grow quickly as they gnaw their way through those leaves - to jewelry-like chrysalises and finally the butterflies that serve as crucial pollinators. They are endangered and vulnerable at every stage, but the sanctuary cannot protect them from every danger.
The city is planning on spraying in several Manhattan neighborhoods, including Inwood to kill mosquitos spreading West Nile Virus, which according to the Health Department's website has been more prevalent in the city this summer.
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed he was recently in the hospital and is recovering from a case of it.
At the butterfly sanctuary, De Cesare says he understands the city needs to control the mosquito population, but he's asking for an exemption of sorts.
"Just don't come down this block. Stay off the corner," he said.
The city says the pesticides it uses are safe for people and pets, but suggests that anyone who might be sensitive to the spray stay inside, close the windows and keep the AC on.
Other neighbors are also hoping that can be avoided.
"We're killing by trying to contain mosquitoes. We are also killing other insects that are beneficial," said Bobby Velonis.
"We need them as pollinators. And we need them for the beauty and the joy they bring," De Cesare added.
WNYC Morning Edition
NY1 New Yorker of the Week
New York City to spray pesticides. Butterfly conservationist DeCesare says to stay off the block.
The flitting fiery orange and black wings of the monarch butterfly, which once signaled the coming of spring, have become an increasingly rare sight.
The majestic insect's populations on the East Coast dwindled roughly 90% from 1996 to 2013, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife estimates. Since then, their numbers have declined even further.
But a new effort on Governors Island is a small part of a nationwide effort to help the monarch recover. Gardeners are planting as much milkweed as they can fit on eight sites around the 172-acre island south of Manhattan.
The flitting fiery orange and black wings of the monarch butterfly, which once signaled the coming of spring, have become an increasingly rare sight.
The majestic insect's populations on the East Coast dwindled roughly 90% from 1996 to 2013, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife estimates. Since then, their numbers have declined even further.
But a new effort on Governors Island is a small part of a nationwide effort to help the monarch recover. Gardeners are planting as much milkweed as they can fit on eight sites around the 172-acre island south of Manhattan.
Milkweed, which has pink flowers, is the monarchs’ main food source, nest, and nursery, and conservationists say its steep decline is closely related to dwindling monarch numbers. The new gardens on Governors Island add to more informal, piecemeal efforts by butterfly lovers and small organizations to plant milkweed around the city.
“We can create a green way for wildlife or insects through cities and towns,” said Logan Fisher, horticulture supervisor at Governors Island. “Some people only have a fire escape or a tree pit, but each of those places can still have the promise and potential to support [monarchs].”
The eastern monarch population accounts for more than 90% of all monarch butterflies worldwide. The eastern monarch makes a 4,000-mile round trip from Canada to Mexico each year.
Agriculture and urban development have destroyed the migratory insect’s wintering homes in Mexico and California while pesticides and herbicides have killed off its host plant. Climate change has also played a role with droughts, high temperatures and wildfires causing earlier migrations before milkweed has bloomed.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether the monarch should be added to the endangered species list. A decision is expected in September.
Gardeners on Governors Island are calling 2024 “The Year of the Milkweed.” Visitors will be encouraged to plant milkweed in their backyards, window sill gardens and anywhere else they can find.
“We just need to create habitat for them because that is the one thing that we have taken away from them,” Fisher said.
Some New Yorkers have already started planting milkweed around the city, on roadsides and in parks.
“We're doing what you might call guerrilla gardening, where we're planting the milkweed wherever we can get it to grow,” said Keith De Cesare, a co-founder of the Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary. “Right over the hill, there's a little plot where we have a dozen milkweed, over behind the dog run there's a little strip of land where we have some of the milkweed.”
The 300 square foot garden sanctuary hosted a few hundred monarchs in previous springs. Last year, only about five dozen monarchs were seen in the garden – an all-time low.
Milkweed's toxic sap is the cuisine of choice for a monarch, which only lays eggs on one plant before dying. The herbaceous perennial’s milky latex is poisonous to most animals, but is like mother’s milk for caterpillars before they transform. The unpleasant-tasting chemicals consumed from milkweed make caterpillars and butterflies unpalatable to predators.
“Without a question, the most effective [thing to do to bring back monarchs] would be to plant milkweed farms,” said David Grimaldi, entomologist and curator of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History.
There are other factors affecting the monarch butterfly's survival. In an effort to save the monarch, some citizen scientists have reared butterflies in their homes and gardens with eggs and cocoons that are available online.
But this can actually do more damage. When monarchs are raised in close quarters, they can develop parasites that kill off the wild populations they come in contact with.
“We don't need to rear them,” Fisher said.
Invasive insects also threaten monarchs, including mantises from China that have become a common sight in gardens. These well-camouflaged insects can get as big as 5 inches, larger than a monarch, whose wingspan can reach up to 4 inches. They consume the monarch’s body and leave behind its wings.
Invasive plants are a problem, too. Mugwort is native to Europe, Asia and Africa. It’s so aggressive that it can overtake and outcompete native species such as milkweed.
Horticulturists on Governors Island said digging up mugwort is half of their job. Another invasive plant called swallow-wort resembles milkweed. But any monarch eggs laid on it will not survive.
“There's a lot of punches coming at the monarch butterfly right now and so the one thing that we can do is create habitat,” Fisher said.
Globally, insects have been declining so rapidly that 40% of species might be extinct in the coming decades.
“This is a problem that's greater than monarchs and milkweed – we're in sort of a global insect apocalypse right now,” said Leo Frampton, a gardener at Governors Island. “We're losing so many insects that we might not even have time to know the numbers. We just know we have to try and help them because insects have been an underrated type of animal historically.”
Organizations including Live Monarch, Monarch Watch and Little Wings will mail milkweed seeds free of charge upon request to any New Yorkers looking to help.
NY1 New Yorker of the Week
NY1 New Yorker of the Week
NY1 New Yorker of the Week
NYER OF THE WEEK
New Yorker of the Week: Keith De Cesare AUG. 02, 2021
For Keith De Cesare, inspiration struck after witnessing the parks department ripping out native milkweed, the exclusive host plant and habitat for monarch butterflies. He wanted to create a protected space for these insects to call home. “You plant the milkweed and they’ll come,” De Cesare explained. He has started an adopt-a-butterfly program to allow parents and children to engage with his butterfly rescue efforts The Church of the Good Shepherd donated their corner, allowing De Cesare to create the Inwood Butterfly Sanctuary on a busy neighborhood corner, planting pollinating flowers and, yes, milkweed. “Before you know it we were inundated with monarch butterflies and the eggs,” De Cesare remembered.
Three years into the project, De Cesare is still busy searching for new eggs and creating solutions for keeping the caterpillars and chrysalides safe while working tirelessly to educate the community. Through this one little patch of beauty, De Cesare believes more than a hundred butterflies will hatch this year. “This isn’t just a frivolous project of raising butterflies and how wonderful that is. It’s all that, but it’s really more about truly saving the butterflies from extinction,” De Cesare said.
As more and more habitats are destroyed, De Cesare hopes he can help other New Yorkers build way stations in their communities and spread even more awareness to the monarch cause. What started as a personal interest and a way to teach his own kids, has quickly developed into a neighborhood hot spot. “It became a gathering place for the neighborhood," De Cesare said. "People are stopping by everyday to see the caterpillars. They’re counting them. They’re waiting for them to be released."
What You Need To Know:
Through the help of the a donation, De Cesare was able to create a butterfly sanctuary on a corner lot in Inwood
He's aware of how incredible the monarch butterfly is and is doing everything he can to keep them from extinction
De Cesare would love to create similar gardens across the city
De Cesare also created an adopt-a-butterfly program, encouraging parents and children to take home a caterpillar and watch it transform. “By engaging the imagination and the interest of the children, at a young age, we’re teaching them to be stewards of the environment, to be caretakers and to be responsible,” De Cesare said.
For creating his own kind of butterfly effect, Keith De Cesare, is our New Yorker of the Week.
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