Can we save monarch butterflies?

    Seeing the first monarch of the summer makes me feel both hopeful and sad. As I watch the majestic orange and black butterflies fluttering around the backyard, I consider their uncertain future as a species. Humans have poisoned, plowed over, or encroached on their habitat, making it more challenging for the monarch. Milkweed is less plentiful and it’s the only plant where monarchs lay their eggs and a primary source of food. (They also eat nectar from other plants.)  

    Did you know that not all monarchs migrate? Mother Nature decides what colonies will make the arduous journey, say the enthusiastic guides at the LaDew Butterfly House in Maryland. Ladew’s staff and volunteers are serious about their role as caretakers of native species of butterflies and moths and as educators for visitors, like me. Last July, the tour guides pointed out itsy-bitsy white butterfly eggs dotting the underside of milkweed leaves.  

    Monarchs that migrate embark on a 1,200 up to 2,800 mile journey from their homes in U.S. and Canada to the forests of Central Mexico. Migratory populations decreased by 59 percent in 2024, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Each year, their numbers decrease.

    Many butterflies are near extinction. The Poweshiek skipperling, once common in the Midwest, is one of the rarest butterflies. Nearly 1,200 of these endangered butterflies are back in the wild this summer, thanks to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids’ program.  

    I grew up in the Midwest. As a young girl, a small white butterfly with papery wings and a cheery disposition, befriended me. Was it a skipperling? I am not sure.  But my winged friend, small and delicate, waited for me on the windowsill every morning and danced by my shoulder. One morning, the windowsill was empty, and I felt empty too.

    Of course, I didn’t know then that a butterfly lives only a few days or weeks depending on the species. Now, I realize that these precise creatures’ lives depend on us.  It’s up to us to ensure there are butterflies for the next generation.  

    **

 https://wildlife.org/mexico-monarch-numbers-plunge/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/realestate/gardening-milkweed-plants-butterflies.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AU4.AwSl.5xhT4oLzqTdy&smid=url-share