We have started a new Website, renaturemontreal.ca.

The purpose of our website is to help Nature recover from a drastic decline in wildlife in the Montreal area. The obvious beginning is to revitalize the food chain. Douglas Tallamy, Isabella Tree and researchers throughout the world emphasize restoring Native plants. Tallamy and Narango and Marra published in the PNAS Oct 22, 2018 a five-year study showing that you needed at least 70% native plants to maintain a stable, normal population of birds.

On April 5, 2024, we were authorized to start a 1,000 sq foot garden behind the greenhouse at 7000 Blvd LaSalle. The site was covered with invasive Kentucky Bluegrass. To prepare the garden and kill off weeds as quickly as possible, we moved two tons of weedless soil over three layers of newspaper over eight days. On April 13, 2024, we
planted seeds from over 100 species of native wildflowers.

We are inordinately proud of the garden. In just six months’ time, we went from a monoculture of invasive grass, sterile, devoid of food value for wildlife to a thriving
fertile, fecund garden of over 80 indigenous native plants. The total cost of the 1000 sq foot garden was $500 for the weedless soil.

PLEASE COME AND SEE AND FEEL, THIS LIVING, FERTILE FOOD OASIS.

We are challenging all Montrealers to do the same thing in their yards on a plot of land the size of a kitchen table. The total cost will be newspaper, one bag of weedless soil (25 pounds) at $2.50. Renature Montreal will supply several hundreds of envelopes of wildflower seeds for free.

At the Benny Library in NDG, we are rehabilitating a 1200 sq foot garden, overgrown with over 30 invasive weeds. The purpose and scope are different. It is mainly educative. The weeds are temporarily cut down and pulled out, and over 20 species of native wildflowers have been planted as mature plants. This is extremely different from the Verdun Garden. The land slopes too much to use newspapers. The cost has been nil as we have used native wildflowers from Verdun.

We are also rehabilitating the historic North Shore of the St. Lawrence River just south of the greenhouse. Come see the work we have done and will be doing. We are mourning the fact that in the spring, the annual Mayfly outburst was almost killed 100 % this year. From trillions upon trillions of Mayflies, there were no Mayflies at all on the north shore. There were only a few isolated patches on the south shore.

A 74 and 78-year-old couple, with minimal volunteers so far and at a cost of $500 has started to convert Montreal from a FOOD DESERT to a FOOD OASIS. VISIT US AT 7000 BOUL LASALLE. NOTHING CAN REPLACE, SEEING, TOUCHING, FEELING AND SMELL.

References related to the challenge

• A Yard Full of Native Plants Is a Yard Full of Well-Fed Birds
• Exotic Plants Starving Birds! 12 Things You Can Do to Help
• April: National Native Plant Month (Native Plants for Birds)
• New Research Further Proves Native Plants Offer More Bugs for Birds

Joan and Oz Obukuro renaturemontreal@gmail.com