Small Miracles

Photos and Text: Mary

What's your favorite animal? Dogs and cats, our best friends and loyal companions, are popular choices. Whales and dolphins, elephants and pandas, eagles and penguins--the cuddly, exotic and majestic “charismatic megafauna” of the world always make the top ten list of favorites.

My favorite animal is an insect. Yuck, you may say. No way. Well, I'd like to rally support for an amazing creature, delicate but strong, beautifully colored, an unbelievable traveler – the monarch butterfly.

The Monarch Butterfly: Unbelievable Traveler

We've been watching for monarchs in the gardens here at Terressentials, and occasionally we're thrilled to find them feeding on the nectar of the many flowers blooming at this time of year. The monarch butterflies we see now started life as small larvae that hatched from eggs laid on milkweed plants (the only food for monarch caterpillars). This summer I temporarily adopted a monarch caterpillar and observed its transformation. The caterpillar fed on milkweed, grew and then entered the pupa stage, encasing itself in a hard, protective covering (the chrysalis). Magically, the gorgeous black and orange butterfly emerged from this shell within two weeks and stretched its wings in the sun for several hours before taking its first flight.

The Monarch Butterfly: An Amazing Transformation

This transformation, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly, is amazing in itself, but it's common to all butterflies and moths. The truly astounding part of the monarch story begins with the butterflies that hatch in the late summer and fall. They are the ones destined for an epic journey, the same journey undertaken by preceding generations. The monarch butterflies east of the Rocky mountains migrate en masse to their wintering grounds in Mexico. They follow the same route that their ancestors took and may even return to the very same TREE! Somehow, they know the way. These delicate insects, weighing no more than 0.026 of an ounce and with wingspans of 4 inches or less, may travel up to 3000 miles! The same butterflies that make the long journey south in the fall survive through the winter then begin traveling north in the spring, breeding along the way. Three or four new generations of butterflies will live and die before the southward migration begins again in the fall.

After emerging from its chrysalis, a monarch dries its wings.

Now that you're suitably impressed, it's time to become concerned. Unfortunately, our amazing monarchs are in real trouble. The monarch population has declined precipitously since its peak in 1996, due to destruction of its food sources and habitat. Milkweed, which is necessary for monarch caterpillars to grow and develop, and nectar sources for the butterflies (wildflowers, for example) are being mowed and poisoned (using toxic herbicides) along roadsides and in agricultural areas. Pesticides intended to control unwanted insects and weeds are also killing monarch caterpillars and butterflies. Furthermore, the monarchs' overwintering habitat in Mexico is being lost due to illegal logging.

We know what the problems are. The Monarch Task Force of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), recommends that we do the following:

• Plant milkweed! As we've learned, monarch caterpillars need milkweed for food. You can find out which species of milkweed are appropriate for your area, as well as how to grow and plant them, by visiting the Monarch Watch website (www.monarchwatch.org). Monarch Watch sells milkweed plants and also offers free milkweed plants to qualifying schools and non-profits.
• Plant butterfly nectar plants! Monarch butterflies need the energy from nectar for breeding, for their long migratory journey, and to build reserves for surviving the winter. Add butterfly-friendly plants to your garden, along fence lines and in containers on your deck . . . And do not use pesticides! Nectar sources that grow well in the mid-Atlantic region include marigolds, Zinnias, Cosmos, Asters, Joe Pye Weed, Sweet Alyssum, and Goldenrod.
• Encourage public land managers to create monarch habitats! Roadsides and public parks are great places to establish “Monarch Waystations”, which include milkweed, nectar sources and vegetation that provide shelter for butterflies and larvae.
  
  

  

  Milkweed is the only food source for monarch caterpillars.

  Because the monarchs are strong, I believe they will survive and their numbers will rebound–but only if we do our part to maintain the habitat that they need. Their survival in a rapidly developing world will be a sign of hope, an indication that human beings truly value the beauty and wonder of these small miracles of nature.
  
  Resources: 
  

  • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/monarch-butterfly/  
  • Monarch Task Force of The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) brochure, “Protecting Monarchs” (www.pollinator.org)  
  • www.MonarchWatch.org