Meet the Monarchs Butterflies by Kurt

Pollinators are an indispensable part of the world's ecosystem. They carry pollen from one plant to another, helping them to reproduce. 75% of the world's flowering plants and 75% of our crops rely on pollinators like bats, bees, beetles, and butterflies. Without pollinators, foods such as blueberries, cherries, apples, almonds, coffee, and chocolate would disappear!

One of the most charismatic and unusual pollinator is the monarch butterfly. The caterpillars are recognizable for their yellow, black, and white striped body and the adults for their vibrant orange wings. Monarchs are peculiar in that they rely solely milkweed plants: it is the only plant they lay eggs on and the only plant they feed upon as caterpillars.

We've raised monarchs for the past 20 days or so. They started out as minuscule eggs on milkweed leaves. After hatching, they ate and grew rapidly. Between 10 to 15 days they increased their size and weight almost 3,000 times! Most of them have entered the chrysalis stage of their development. In another 10 days or so, adult monarchs will emerge into the world. 

When fall comes around, our monarchs will undergo one of the greatest migrations on earth. Hundreds of millions of butterflies will swarm over the country in a smoky ochre-hued cloud to descend upon high-elevation fir forests in central Mexico and the sunny coasts of central and southern California. The migrations require the butterflies, weighing not much more than a paperclip, to cover distances between one and two thousand miles. To accomplish this, monarchs need to cover between 25 to 30 miles a day!

Unfortunately, the monarch population has dropped by 90% since 1980, when populations first started to be monitored. This drop in population can be attributed to several different factors. The first and most important factor is the overall loss of milkweed throughout the United States. Milkweed is lost for a variety of reasons: herbicide use, increasing urbanization in milkweed growing areas, widespread industrialized farms, and drought conditions in many parts of the western U.S. Illegal logging in Mexico has also resulted in habitat loss in the monarch's overwintering grounds.

People throughout the United States can take small yet significant steps to help. The first is to plant milkweed. There are over 100 native milkweed plants, many of which are used as food for monarchs. Individuals can also plant pollinator-friendly plants, like butterfly weed, zinnia, and sunflowers. Monarchs need the nectar for energy to breed, to complete their migration, and to build energy reserves for the long winter. People should avoid using pesticides as well. The general pollinator population is plunging, but with a little awareness and some small actions we can collectively make a huge impact.