This is not a drill. California is poised to lose the Western monarch butterfly and its mysterious annual migration from the continent’s Western regions to the coastal areas between Baja and Mendocino.
The list for blame is long habitat destruction, insecticides, herbicides and, yes, good intentions, because if you’ve ever planted a showy orange and red milkweed in Southern California with the goal of helping the monarch, consider yourself part of the problem.
So why should we care? First off, caterpillars are a critical food source for most songbirds, which rely heavily on the insects to feed their young. Second, butterflies, like bees, are important pollinators. Adult monarchs sip nectar from many blossoms, and as they flit among flowers, they are also spreading pollen, helping the plants produce seeds, which also feed birds and other wildlife and, of course, help the plant reproduce.
One year later, remembering victims of pandemic Southold Town Councilwoman Jill Doherty, who’s chief of staff for Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio, speaks at Monday’s ceremony. (Credit: Tara Smith)
Exactly one year since state health officials confirmed the first COVID-19 case in New York, local leaders gathered in Riverhead Monday to commemorate those we’ve lost during the pandemic.
“Over the past year, so many have suffered the painful loss of family members and friends due to COVID-19,” Councilman Ken Rothwell said during the ceremony. “Many are still fighting the virus and thankfully, many have healed. The death toll has been unimaginable.”
(File photo)
A COVID-19 memorial will honor the lives of Suffolk County residents who succumbed to the virus and provide an “opportunity to find comfort in community” for those who lost someone.
The Suffolk County Legislature is seeking submissions from residents so their loved one’s names can be written on a ribbon as part of the memorial, which will be on display throughout March. Families can have the opportunity to personally add the ribbon to the memorial at their convenience.
The county will formally unveil the memorial Monday afternoon outside the Suffolk County Legislature’s William H. Rogers Building in Smithtown. County officials will tie the first ribbons to the memorial to begin the project. A temporary structure will also be set up in the lobby of the Evans K. Griffing Building in Riverside. Any ribbon tied in Riverside will be incorporated into the memorial, the county said.