THE GREATMONARCH MIGRATION

I was sitting in my backyard and I spied a beautiful monarch butterfly. As it approached the milkweed to feast, I wondered if it was tired from its journey but I was happy that the butterfly took time to get some nourishment and perhaps lay an egg or two.

Monarch butterflies fly more than 2,000 miles from the north of Canada to the center of Mexico. This is the largest insect migration in the world but monarchs have rapidly declined since 1992. Some statistic shows their population down as much as 90%.

Milkweed plants are the only source of food for the monarch caterpillar. But these plants are rapidly disappearing, due to the loss of habitat stemming from land development and the widespread spraying of weed killers on the fields where they live. So, how can you help? There are many Monarch recovery programs available, just search the internet! They are always looking for willing participants and donors. Of course, if you have the space, plant some milkweed, which can be found at your local nursery. When did you last see a monarch and where?