Guided Tour of Pinhey Sand Dunes Butterfly Sanctuary

The Pinhey Sand Dunes is a habitat restoration project of Biodiversity Conservation International. In 2021, volunteers began adding native plants to provide food and shelter for unique sand dune insects. Plant species were chosen based on botanical surveys of sand dune remnants in the Ottawa area. Challenges of intense heat and dry surface conditions have been overcome by deeper-than-normal planting of deep-rooted plugs to help roots access existing moisture. In the near future, entomologists hope to reintroduce the Mottled Duskywing Butterfly that has disappeared from our region as populations of its host plant, New Jersey Tea, have declined. Lead entomologist Dr. Pete Dang will be on hand to answer questions.