Monarchs Need Our Help

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Generations of North American school children, including me, learned about metamorphosis watching Monarchs transform from caterpillars into butterflies. They are, without question, one of the most beloved and well-recognized butterflies.

I have one very vivid memory of Monarchs outside the classroom: Sitting on my grandmother’s porch one fall afternoon, I watched hundreds of Monarchs flying high overhead on their annual migration to Mexico. They flew in clouds, dozens at a time, or sometimes singly, a steady stream of bright orange against a brilliant blue backdrop. It was an awe-inspiring and captivating sight.

Declining Populations

Unfortunately, it’s a sight that we may lose forever. Monarch populations have good years and bad years, but their numbers have been on a general downward spiral since 1996. The reasons are complicated, but Monarch numbers are adversely affected by many factors, from illegal lumbering in their overwintering forests in Mexico, to loss of their host plant, milkweed, in the American landscape. Winter storms in Mexico this year apparently killed about 6.2 million butterflies, causing a 27 percent drop in total numbers compared to last year. The news just isn’t good.

So, Monarchs, if they are to keep gracing our skies and gardens, need our help. There isn’t a lot we can do about winter storms in Mexico, but we can help by planting milkweed in our gardens.

Milkweed

There are many varieties of milkweed, and, like most plants, they have their own needs and preferences when it comes to soil, moisture, and light. The National Wildlife Federation has a great website that profiles 12 milkweeds for Monarchs, including the states where they are native: http://blog.nwf.org/2015/02/twelve-native-milkweeds-for-monarchs/. If you are wondering which milkweed will do well in your location, this is a good place to start.

Butterfly Weed

In my sunny front yard, I have planted Butterflyweed (also called Butterfly Weed or Orange Milkweed, depending on who is doing the writing). It’s scientific name is Asclepius tuberosa. It’s flowers are brilliant orange, and it attract bees as well as many different butterflies, not just Monarchs. My Gorgone Checkerspot butterflies congregate on Asclepius tuberosa.

This plant needs full sunlight, is very drought tolerant, and seems happy in a variety of soils. It grows wild on roadsides in Oklahoma. However, it doesn’t transplant well because it has a deep taproot that resents disturbance. (I discovered this the hard way.) My plants have spread by seed in a few places, but I started with potted plants. You can find Butterflyweed on sale online as well as at commercial retailers and smaller nurseries. Planted in groups, Butterflyweeds’ brilliant orange is a rest stop signpost for traveling Monarchs.

Swamp Milkweed

In my dappled-sun backyard, I have Swamp Milkweed in a large planter. It is tall, ungainly, and wants to sprawl, but every year I’ve found Monarch caterpillars feasting away on it. I marvel at how Monarchs find it, because the flowers aren’t particularly showy. Swamp Milkweed likes moist soil, and it tolerates part shade very well.

Arizona Butterfly Weed

Arizona Butterfly Weed (Asclepias angustifolia) is another milkweed I plant every year. Another sun-loving, drought tolerant species, this milkweed is native to Arizona. It’s an annual in my yard, but it laughs at summer heat, and butterflies find it very attractive. It might be difficult to find for sale; I’m lucky because a local nursery carries it.

If you live in southern states (zones 8-11), it is recommended that you either avoid planting Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) or cut it back once or twice a year. Some research has indicated that monarchs feeding on Tropical Milkweed are more at risk of developing a spore-driven disease, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), if the plants aren’t cut back or don’t die over winter. There is some controversy on this subject, and the science is currently unsettled. But the consensus seems to be that you’re safe planting Tropical Milkweed in areas where it is an annual, or if you cut it back so OE spores can’t build up on the plants in warmer climates.

Honeyvine Milkweed

Honeyvine Milkweed is an option if you’re extremely dedicated to serving Monarchs. I had it growing wild in a former residence, and it caused my hands to break out in a rash. I am unusually sensitive to it, but it can also be quite invasive. Invasiveness and “causes rash” do not make for pleasant gardening, in my experience, but Monarchs truly love the stuff. I work in a concrete building with no landscaping around it. Last year, two coworkers discovered six Monarch chrysalises attached to the shady north side of the building, in the most inhospitable place imaginable. Why? There was Honeyvine Milkweed growing wild at the base of the wall.

These are just a few milkweeds I know from personal experience. There are many others. The important thing is to get milkweed, of any variety, growing in our gardens and available for Monarchs. This will help ensure these beauties are around for future generations to enjoy. Maybe someday your grandchildren will sit on your porch and look up at the sky, watching Monarchs on their annual migration, marveling at nature’s wonder. And you’ll know you helped make that moment happen.

Meet Leslie Miller

Leslie Ann Miller shares 3.5 acres in rural Oklahoma with birds, butterflies and wide variety of animals. She is currently transforming her yard with plantings…

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