Trust For Governors Island Announces The Fabulous ‘Year Of Milkweed’ Initiative

The Trust for Governors Island has dubbed 2024 as the “Year of Milkweed,” a yearlong initiative that will engage New Yorkers with programs that will highlight the power of native plants in the fight against biodiversity loss.

Presented through Governors Island Nature, the initiative will shine a light on the horticulture practices that have helped transform this former military outpost into a resilient, immersive, thriving locale for plants, wildlife, and New Yorkers alike. 

Events announced today include guided nature walks, nighttime insect ecology events, and volunteer opportunities in partnership with the Friends of Governors Island—where participants of all ages can help propagate milkweed plants and learn about their benefits—in addition to other horticultural happenings to honor this vibrant plant. The Trust will also unveil a new demonstration garden in Liggett Terrace this summer, which will feature 750 individual milkweed plants and be open year-round for education and relaxation. All event details are available at www.govisland.org.

“It’s the Year of Milkweed on Governors Island, and we couldn’t be more excited to shine a light on the incredible work our team does to care for the Island’s diverse natural areas,” said Clare Newman, President & CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “Our commitment to 5,000 plants is designed to educate and directly involve Island visitors in growing native habitats and empower all New Yorkers to help create a greener, healthier city for all.”

“Milkweed is such a special plant, and we can’t wait for it to find a home in the imagination of all New Yorkers this year,” said Leo Frampton, senior gardener at the Trust for Governors Island. “Its partnership with Monarch butterflies shows that, by finding a place for native plants, anyone can help our environment recover. Whether you have plants at home, participate in your neighborhood’s community garden, or have never even heard of a native plant, we hope you’ll join us on Governors Island to celebrate the Year of Milkweed.”

Year of Milkweed Spring/Summer Event Schedule

• Guided nature walks exploring relationship between native plants and wildlife: May 30, June 27, July 25, August 29, September 26, October 31, November 21
• Insect Light Trapping: May 14, June 11, July 16, July 23, August 13, September 10
• Monarch Migration community celebration: September 14

Since the Island’s 43-acre, award-winning park was completed in 2016, the Trust’s horticulture team has helped cultivate these areas as robust native habitats through ecological horticulture—a practice that prioritizes biodiversity and sustainability. The Year of Milkweed initiative marks the first major effort to directly involve all New Yorkers in the Trust’s habitat creation work. 

The Hills, the crowning feature of the Island’s park designed by West 8, showcase the potential for urban spaces to build back biodiversity. While the original plantings—many of which were native to the New York City region—worked to establish themselves shortly after the park’s completion, ecologically damaging plants like mugwort and bindweed invaded. Through innovative and experimental methods of weed control like solarization, where areas full of invasive plants are covered with a clear plastic tarp to harness solar power to cook the roots and seeds, the Trust’s horticultural team has successfully eliminated invasive plants in more than 5,000 square feet throughout the Hills and introduced 52 plants native to the New York City region, benefiting pollinators and other local wildlife.

Planting efforts as part of the Year of Milkweed will focus on three species native to New York City’s eco-region: Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed, selected as WildflowerNYC’s 2023 New York City Wildflower of the Year), Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), and Ascelpias incarnata (swamp milkweed). They will be planted throughout the Island’s 120 acres of open space, with a focus on Hammock Grove, the Hills, and the Governors Island Historic District, in addition to the new demonstration garden in Liggett Terrace—an area on the Island known for its landscaped gardens, water features, and seasonal food vendors.

These plants were carefully chosen for the benefits they provide to monarch butterflies, whose caterpillar larvae feed exclusively on milkweed leaves. With their striking orange and black wings, Eastern monarchs are abundant on Governors Island during their migration in late summer and fall, but their populations have been experiencing significant decline throughout the United States over the past several years; the Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation reports an 80% decline in Eastern monarch populations. Integrating this volume of milkweed plants into Governors Island’s green spaces will allow monarchs to safely complete their life cycles while increasing native plant habitats for all Island wildlife. 

The Year of Milkweed is presented through the Trust’s Governors Island Nature program, which fosters visitor engagement with Governors Island’s 120 acres of natural and built open spaces and promotes horticulture practices employed by the Trust’s team that support biodiversity. Through learning, public programs, and stewardship projects, Governors Island Nature aims to educate New Yorkers about horticulture and the impacts of climate change on our natural surroundings, while promoting Governors Island as a sanctuary for all beings. In-person events and activities are accompanied by a suite of digital resources at www.govisland.org/nature that includes an interactive tree map, a “Plant Watch” page, and more.

Governors Island has undergone a tremendous transformation over the last two decades, including the creation of a resilient 43-acre park, a growing arts and cultural program, year-round public access, and remarkable growth in audience. The Island is home to a diverse number of year-round tenants, including the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Billion Oyster Project, Beam Center, the Institute for Public Architecture, and QC NY, as well as the soon-to-open Buttermilk Labs—a new multi-tenant hub for coastal climate solutions.

In April 2023, following a two-year competitive process, Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust for Governors Island announced the selection of a new anchor institution for the Center for Climate Solutions on Governors Island. The New York Climate Exchange, led by Stony Brook University, will be a first-of-its-kind, cross-sector nonprofit organization dedicated to climate research, solution development, education, workforce training, and public programs on Governors Island. The Trust also recently announced the Governors Island Living Lab, a new platform for research, partnerships, and programs to amplify climate action that includes an annual climate solutions challenge open to nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, and start-ups; the launch of climate field trip programs; and an interim community convening space on the Island. 

The Trust for Governors Island

The Trust for Governors Island is a nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York that is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust’s mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island for the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org 

Photo credit: 1-5) The Trust for Governors Island.