Adopt a Monarch
July 2008
Viki Mather
by Viki Mather
The monarchs are back! Monarch butterflies have returned to our neighbourhood for another summer. We love to watch them flitter about, sipping nectar from the wild flowers in the yard. Over the next few weeks, they will lay their eggs on the milkweed plants in our orchard. We keep watch for the tiny stripy caterpillars, then watch them grow quickly as they munch upon the growing leaves of the milkweeds.
Monarchs are totally dependant on milkweed for their reproduction. The caterpillars can’t eat anything but milkweed. And in return, only the monarch butterfly can pollinate the dusty pink flowers of the milkweed. Many other insects drink the nectar, but only the monarch has the perfect proboscis to take the pollen to where it needs to go.
Monarch butterflies have been classified by the Species at Risk program as being of special concern. The habitat needs for the caterpillars are simple but limited. You can help protect this habitat, and thus, adopt a whole patch of caterpillars which will magically become butterflies within weeks of their birth.
The common milkweed plant is classified as a noxious weed. This is because it spreads easily and abundantly through its root system. The sticky white sap of the plant is toxic to many creatures, including farm animals. So, many farmers despise milkweed.
However, there is an abundance of milkweed that grows happily along the roadsides of Ontario. And happily, many thousands of butterflies lay their eggs here. The caterpillars hatch, eat the leaves, and accumulate the bitter taste of the milkweed sap into their bodies. This makes them distasteful to birds and other predators. When they mature, they transform their soft bodies into a hard green jewel of a chrysalis. The butterflies that emerge from the chrysalides are also distasteful to predators, so the monarch butterfly flies freely through our summer days.
Perhaps the greatest threat to monarchs in Ontario comes from the mowing of roadsides in July and August. You can help to save a generation of butterflies by taking an active role in preventing the cutting of these roadside patches during this most critical time of the lifecycle of the butterflies. Adopt a milkweed patch!
Make a couple of signs to post along the road where the milkweed grows. “No Cutting Please” in large letters, with “Monarch Breeding Zone” below. Find out who does the cutting, and talk to them about the monarchs and their needs. Give them a copy of this article!
Write a letter to your city councillor, explaining that the monarchs that are born in Canada are the ones who migrate to Mexico. Ask them to make sure any roadside mowing is delayed until late August, after all the new butterflies have matured.
There are many sources of information about these beautiful butterflies. Do a search for “Monarch Butterfly habitat Canada” for an excellent selection.
Viki Mather is owner of Kukagami Lodge, a northern Ontario wilderness resort at the southern boundary of the Temagami forest. Web: www.kukagamilodge.com, email: lodge@kukagami.infosathse.com Viki has lived in the wilderness for 26 years, without electricity or running water. Read these columns monthly to discover wonderful ways to live in harmony with nature, bring edible wilds into your kitchen, thrive without plugging into the grid, and enjoy a healthier life.
by Viki MatherThe monarchs are back! Monarch butterflies have returned to our neighbourhood for another summer. We love to watch them flitter about, sipping nectar from the wild flowers in the yard. Over the next few weeks, they will lay their eggs on the milkweed plants in our orchard. We keep watch for the tiny stripy caterpillars, then watch them grow quickly as they munch upon the growing leaves of the milkweeds.
Monarchs are totally dependant on milkweed for their reproduction. The caterpillars can’t eat anything but milkweed. And in return, only the monarch butterfly can pollinate the dusty pink flowers of the milkweed. Many other insects drink the nectar, but only the monarch has the perfect proboscis to take the pollen to where it needs to go.
Monarch butterflies have been classified by the Species at Risk program as being of special concern. The habitat needs for the caterpillars are simple but limited. You can help protect this habitat, and thus, adopt a whole patch of caterpillars which will magically become butterflies within weeks of their birth.
The common milkweed plant is classified as a noxious weed. This is because it spreads easily and abundantly through its root system. The sticky white sap of the plant is toxic to many creatures, including farm animals. So, many farmers despise milkweed.
However, there is an abundance of milkweed that grows happily along the roadsides of Ontario. And happily, many thousands of butterflies lay their eggs here. The caterpillars hatch, eat the leaves, and accumulate the bitter taste of the milkweed sap into their bodies. This makes them distasteful to birds and other predators. When they mature, they transform their soft bodies into a hard green jewel of a chrysalis. The butterflies that emerge from the chrysalides are also distasteful to predators, so the monarch butterfly flies freely through our summer days.
Perhaps the greatest threat to monarchs in Ontario comes from the mowing of roadsides in July and August. You can help to save a generation of butterflies by taking an active role in preventing the cutting of these roadside patches during this most critical time of the lifecycle of the butterflies. Adopt a milkweed patch!
Make a couple of signs to post along the road where the milkweed grows. “No Cutting Please” in large letters, with “Monarch Breeding Zone” below. Find out who does the cutting, and talk to them about the monarchs and their needs. Give them a copy of this article!
Write a letter to your city councillor, explaining that the monarchs that are born in Canada are the ones who migrate to Mexico. Ask them to make sure any roadside mowing is delayed until late August, after all the new butterflies have matured.
There are many sources of information about these beautiful butterflies. Do a search for “Monarch Butterfly habitat Canada” for an excellent selection.
Viki Mather is owner of Kukagami Lodge, a northern Ontario wilderness resort at the southern boundary of the Temagami forest. Web: www.kukagamilodge.com, email: lodge@kukagami.infosathse.com Viki has lived in the wilderness for 26 years, without electricity or running water. Read these columns monthly to discover wonderful ways to live in harmony with nature, bring edible wilds into your kitchen, thrive without plugging into the grid, and enjoy a healthier life.