(Photo: Getty Images)
This year may be one of the worst for the monarch butterfly, experts
are reporting.
Severe hailstorms in Mexico (one of the monarch’s winter
homes) followed by 15 inches of rain has left the population
decimated by up to 50 percent this year. Add to that the ongoing issue
of habitat destruction, and the future of the monarch begins to look a
little shaky.
Unlike most other insects in temperate climates, monarch
butterflies cannot survive a long cold winter, according to MonarchWatch.org. Instead, they spend the winter in roosting
spots. Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains travel to small groves of
trees along the California coast, while those east of the Rocky
Mountains fly farther south to the forests high in the mountains of
Mexico.
No other butterflies migrate like North American monarchs. They are the only butterflies to make such a long, round-trip migration of up to three thousand miles every year. It’s like
“The Odyssey” of the insect world.
Amazingly, they fly in masses to the same
winter roosts, often to the exact same trees. Part of the problem
monarchs face is the longevity of the trees within which they
roost: Illegal logging in Mexico has destroyed the butterflies’ mountain
habitats, while property development in California threatens the
eucalyptus trees where they roost there.
In addition to habitat issues and the increasingly severe weather, there has also
been a significant increase in the Midwest of planting corn and soybeans
that are genetically engineered to be herbicide-resistant. That allows
farmers to spray weed killer without hurting the crops, but it has meant
almost no milkweed survive in the fields. No milkweed means no place
for the butterflies to breed along the way, a crucial step, obviously,
in the survival of the species.
That’s where we can help. An advocacy group is encouraging the public to create monarch habitats by planting milkweed in home gardens. They’re also encouraging schools, zoos, farmers, and anyone else with access to unused land to grow the perennial plants.
Visit Monarchwatch.org to find out what else you can do. For more ways to help butterflies see First Aid for Butterflies and How to Make Butterfly Food.
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