Raising Monarch Caterpillars into Butterflies
I now raise Monarchs because this iconic butterfly -- known as a familiar backyard beauty across the United States -- was once one of the most common butterflies of North America, noted for its spectacular multigenerational migration each year from Mexico to Canada and back. But in the past 20 years the Monarch population has declined by 90 percent. That's largely due to the widespread planting of genetically engineered crops in the Midwest (where most Monarchs are born) and the use there of Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, a potent killer of milkweed, and illegal deforestation in the overwintering habitat for the adult butterflies in Mexico. Right now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing a proposal to include the Monarch on the Endangered Species List and on February 9, 2015, the federal government pledged $3.2 million to help save the Monarch. About $2 million will restore more than 200,000 acres of habitat from California to the Corn Belt, including more than 750 schoolyard habitats and pollinator gardens. The rest will be used to start a conservation fund — the first dedicated solely to Monarchs — that will provide grants to farmers and other landowners to conserve habitat. The conservation projects will be focused on the I-35 corridor from Texas to Minnesota, areas that provide important spring and summer habitat along the butterfly's migration path. BUT, it is the collective efforts of individuals that will make the difference in increasing the Monarch population, since it is estimated that only 10% of wild Monarch caterpillars live to adulthood.
Habitat must be protected now, before we see the day when this miracle of nature is only a memory. So, will you plant Milkweed in your garden to help this species survive? Planting new habitat will not only help butterflies around your home but will help butterflies reach others who without your assistance would not see a Monarch. One seed can change the world, but you have to plant it. Thank you for making a difference and I hope you enjoy seeing the beauty of the Monarch caterpillars and Monarch Butterflies released into my garden.
151,168 Western Monarchs counted during the New Year's Count of 2022
The Western Monarch New Year’s Count serves as a follow-up to the annual Thanksgiving Count to help scientists better understand how the western monarch population changes throughout the overwintering season.
This winter, Xerces scientists and volunteers recorded a 38% decline through the observation period, within the range of a 36-49% seasonal decline observed over the previous six winters. The overall western monarch population remains higher than in previous years.
Although it is difficult to distinguish the exact reasons for winter declines, we suspect it’s likely due to a combination of factors: mortality from winter storms, predation, other causes of mortality, and butterflies leaving the overwintering sites.
Now in its sixth year, the New Year’s Count provides additional information on the status of the migratory monarch population in the West. While the Thanksgiving Count remains the height of the annual monitoring efforts, the New Year’s Count, which runs for two weeks surrounding the New Year’s holiday, continues to gain momentum among volunteers.
Despite a general uptick in the western monarch population this year, monitoring efforts reveal that the migratory population of western monarchs has undergone a dramatic decline estimated more than 95% in the western U.S. since the 1980s.
This year, volunteers surveyed 209 overwintering sites for the New Year’s Count, the most sites monitored since its inception in 2016. Fourteen of these sites were not surveyed for the Thanksgiving Count due to barriers such as site access and weather, leaving 195 sites to be compared across the season in the graph below.
Between December 25, 2021 and January 9, 2022, volunteers conducted surveys for the New Year’s Count that tallied a total of 151,168 monarchs at 209 overwintering sites. Following the Thanksgiving Count, which tallied nearly 250,000 monarch butterflies, the data from the New Year’s count revealed an average decline of 38% among the sites surveyed during both counts. This year’s decline is very similar to last season, when a decline of approximately 37% was observed.
Of the 209 overwintering sites that were monitored by volunteers, numbers declined at 118 sites, numbers increased at 30 sites, 5 remained unchanged, and 42 sites hosted zero butterflies during both counts. Ellwood East saw the greatest increase, from approximately 4,000 butterflies during the Thanksgiving Count to nearly 11,000 during the New Year’s Count.
Data from the New Year’s Count informs the conservation and management efforts of overwintering sites and gives us an idea of how many butterflies remain in the West to begin the spring breeding population. The Thanksgiving and New Year’s Counts help to prioritize overwintering habitat that would benefit most from active management and other protection measures. Monitoring twice during the overwintering season also helps scientists identify how monarch butterflies are using overwintering sites: some sites host monarchs all winter long, while others serve as autumnal (transitional) sites. Additionally, an extra count period during the overwintering season allows for more opportunity to capture information on habitat health, potential threats, and migration trends.
Despite the recent uptick in the western monarch population, these butterflies are still facing significant threats and require extraordinary levels of conservation to recover. Monarchs are not out of the woods yet, and you can play a meaningful role in helping monarchs on their journey northward and inland this spring.
Here are five ways you can take action to support western monarch butterflies:
1) Advocate for the protection and restoration of California overwintering sites.
2) Plant native milkweed and nectar plants to restore breeding and migratory habitat.
3) Reduce your reliance on pesticides through eliminating their use, buying bee-safe nursery plants, supporting farms that use fewer pesticides, and advocating for changes in your community.
4) Participate in community science efforts like the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper to answer key research questions about how to best aid western monarch recovery.
5) Write to your legislators to get support for pollinator bills and stronger regulations for pesticides, like the Monarch Act of 2021.
