Monarch butterfly help, anyone? Buy some milkweed, create a Monarch waystation!

[Flaxbee]

Please, if you have some extra space, make a butterfly garden.

You can get very inexpensive seeds here:
https://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm

Info on Waystations here:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/

Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to overwintering areas in Mexico and California where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring. The monarch migration is truly one of the world's greatest natural wonders, yet it is threatened by habitat loss in North America - at the overwintering sites and throughout the spring and summer breeding range as well.

Monarch Waystation Habitats
Monarch Waystations are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. Without milkweeds throughout their spring and summer breeding areas in North America, monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration each fall. Similarly, without nectar from flowers these fall migratory monarch butterflies would be unable to make their long journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico. The need for host plants for larvae and energy sources for adults applies to all monarch and butterfly populations around the world.

Why We Are Concerned
Milkweeds and nectar sources are declining due to development and the widespread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations.

Development. Development (subdivisions, factories, shopping centers, etc.) in the U.S. 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!

Genetically Modified Crops. Widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant corn and soybeans has resulted in the loss of more than 80 million acres of monarch habitat in recent years. The planting of these crops genetically modified to resist the non-selective systemic herbicide glyphosate (Roundup®) allows growers to spray fields with this herbicide instead of tilling to control weeds. Milkweeds survive tilling but not the repeated use of glyphosate. This habitat loss is significant since these croplands represent more than 30% of the summer breeding area for monarchs.

Roadside Management. The use of herbicides and frequent mowing along roadsides has converted much of this habitat to grasslands - a habitat generally lacking in food and shelter for wildlife. Although some states have started to increase the diversity of plantings along roadsides, including milkweeds, these programs are small.

Unfortunately, the remaining milkweed habitats in pastures, hayfields, edges of forests, grasslands, native prairies, and urban areas are not sufficient to sustain the large monarch populations seen in the 1990s. Monarchs need our help.

What You Can Do
To offset the loss of milkweeds and nectar sources we need to create, conserve, and protect milkweed/monarch habitats. We need you to help us and help monarchs by creating "Monarch Waystations" (monarch habitats) in home gardens, at schools, businesses, parks, zoos, nature centers, along roadsides, and on other unused plots of land. Without a major effort to restore milkweeds to as many locations as possible, the monarch population is certain to decline to extremely low levels.

The Value of Monarch Waystations
By creating and maintaining a Monarch Waystation you are contributing to monarch conservation, an effort that will help assure the preservation of the species and the continuation of the spectacular monarch migration phenomenon.

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Thanks for posting all this information.

It is really sad to realize that so much of the milkweed that they need is disappearing due to herbicide use. I am not surprised.

Good to see you. Hope all is well and things are looking up for you.

[Flaxbee]

3. hi there, Curmudgeoness!

nice to see you, too.

Great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer, talks a lot about herbicide use / deleterious farming practices.
Also all the roadside mowing - I know some of it is for safety, but still. Hate to see all of the habitat loss.

Hanging in there. Things look to be getting better.

Hugs to you and Sammy.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Speaking of Barbara Kingsolver,

I learned a lot about the Monarchs from her book Flight Behavior. If you haven't read it, it is interesting, although I don't think it is a great book. But all about Monarchs and climate change.

I have read Prodigal Summer. That was a very interesting book. I loved the characters, especially the two old fart neighbors. I enjoyed that book.

[Flaxbee]

6. yeah, I liked the two old fart neighbors, too...

he kept insisting on harmful farming methods, pesticides, and she (if I remember correctly) was much more open minded. I read it ages ago; I might have to reread it before long.

I haven't wanted to read Flight Behavior because I avoid certain subject matters that make me angry/sad... but I'll probably read it someday anyway.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Oh, the old fart lady was more than open-minded.

She was organic farming. And they feuded over his use of pesticides, but he said you couldn't grow anything without them. And her farm was thriving. They were great characters. In fact, they are the ones who really stick in my mind.

Flight Behavior was disturbing. I will admit it (and in more ways than one...the lives and attitudes of the residents upset me).

[NJCher]

2. that's pretty easy

Consider it done.

All one has to do is send a buck and a SASE to:

Live Monarch - Seed Campaign 2014
3003-C8 Yamato Road #1015
Boca Raton, Florida 33434


Cher

[Flaxbee]

4. thanks for simplifying it so much, NJCher!