Homegrown: Monarch Habitat

The following, from Buchanan County Conservation, includes information on plant sales this Saturday, May 5, 2012 and next, May 12, 2012, where you can buy monarch-friendly plants:

One of the signs that spring has fully arrived in Iowa is the return of the monarch butterfly.  In late September and sometimes early October, we bid goodbye to millions of monarch butterflies as they migrate from the eastern 2/3 of the United States and Canada to overwintering areas in Mexico where they wait out the winter.  When days lengthen and warm, they begin their return flight, only to mate, lay eggs on the milkweed in northern Mexico and Texas, and die.  By mid April, those eggs have hatched and the fully grown caterpillars are becoming adult monarchs.  It is these monarchs that will fly north in early May and begin laying eggs on our milkweed plants, the start of several generations to call Iowa home for the summer. The monarch migration is truly one of the world's greatest natural wonders (considered one of the top 10 most endangered phenomenon by the World Wildlife Fund in 2010), yet it is threatened by habitat loss in North America - at the overwintering sites and throughout the spring and summer breeding range as well.

In a soon-to-be published study in the Journal of Insect Conservation and Diversity, monarch scientists John Pleasants and Karen Oberhauser estimated that monarch production decreased 60% between 2000 and 2009 due to the increased use of glyphosate herbicides in croplands, roadsides and pastures. They predict that monarch numbers will continue to decline as crop production increases. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations.  Reduced breeding habitat may result in a smaller overwintering population which could be at greater risk due to extreme climate conditions. For example, though they are able to survive cold temperatures, a combination of wet and cold is fatal to monarchs. Drought conditions along their migration route can decrease the abundance and quality of nectar available to migrating monarchs, leading to lower lipid levels and thus lower survival of overwintering monarchs. With these new pressures, it is important to do all we can to support monarchs by conserving, restoring, and creating high quality habitat.

In addition to habitat loss in agricultural areas, another major source of declining habitat is development (subdivisions, factories, shopping centers, etc.).  In the U.S., this development is consuming habitats for monarchs and other wildlife at a rate of 6,000 acres per day - that's 2.2 million acres each year, the area of Delaware and Rhode Island combined!

Unfortunately, the remaining milkweed habitats are not sufficient to sustain the large monarch populations seen in the 1990s. Monarchs need our help.

"We need a large-scale effort to help preserve the monarch," said Chip Taylor, who serves as director of Monarch Watch, an outreach organization based at the University of Kansas that is dedicated to tracking the monarch's migration and conserving its habitats. "The idea is to get everyone who is interested in the monarch butterfly and those interested in gardening to create monarch habitats."

“These habitats contain milkweeds and nectar plants,” Taylor said.  “Monarchs lay eggs on milkweed plants, and larvae use the plants to feed until they become adult butterflies. The adult butterflies feed by obtaining nectar from flowers.”

"This effort won't replace the amount of milkweed that has been lost or even keep pace with the habitat losses each year," Taylor said. “On the other hand, these “Monarch Waystations” will get the public involved in the conservation effort and hopefully those who create habitats will educate their fellow citizens. We are losing wildlife habitat at an incredible rate, and we have to do something about it to avoid losing the spectacular monarch butterfly migration.”

To help create more monarch habitat in Buchanan, Fayette and surrounding counties, Buchanan County Conservation has partnered with the Oelwien HS FFA, the Fontana Herb Society, and the Independence Garden Club to harvest seed, grow starter plants, and provide them to the public at low cost through several plant sales.  You can get your 4-packs of swamp, butterfly  and common milkweed for caterpillar food plants and nectar.  Rough blazingstar, stiff and showy goldenrod, and New England Aster provide nectaring flowers in August & Sept for migrating adults.

The Fontana Herb Society sale will be Saturday, May 5 from 8-11 am at the Fontana Park shelter south of Hazleton. The Independence Garden Club sale will be on Saturday, May 12 from 8-11 am at the Presbyterian Church (115 6

^th

Ave NW) Independence.

Monarch Watch has also developed Monarch Waystation planting information about how to create the best habitat for monarchs.  This information is available on their website at http://monarchwatch.org/waystations/ or by calling (800) 780-9986.

This website will also tell you how your Waystation can be officially certified by Monarch Watch. Upon certification, the sites will be included in the international Monarch Waystation Registry and are eligible to display a sign indicating they are an official Monarch Waystation contributing to monarch conservation.  "The sign helps convey the conservation message to those who visit your Waystation and may encourage them to create their own monarch habitat,” Taylor said.