Restoring Butterfly Habitat on Hornby Island

Helliwell Provincial Park, Hornby Island

Since 2015, Saanich Native Plants has been working with the BC Ministry of Environment, BC Parks, and the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team to help restore rare coastal meadow habitat in Helliwell Provincial Park, Hornby Island.

These open, shallow soil meadows have been degraded through decades of wildfire suppression, which has resulted in the encroachment of Douglas-fir forest into the meadow. The establishment of invasive non-native plant species also threatens this unique ecosystem. These habitat changes have resulted in the loss of native plant species and extirpation, or localized extinction, of the endangered Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly.

Saanich Native Plants provides expert advice to guide restoration activities for these coastal meadows. We also supply native plants and seeds to re-establish native vegetation, which will hopefully create a habitat that can once again support species like the Taylor’s Checkerspot.