More Pollinators

Last month it was the U of I's Pollinatarium highlighting local pollinator concerns with solar panels and bees. This month it's migrating Monarchs! The News-Gazette had information from the U of I Extension (serving Champaign and other area counties) in yesterday's paper:

In the Garden | Supporting the monarchs
Each year, there are four generations of monarch butterflies in Illinois. The first generation is born when overwintering monarchs return to lay eggs on milkweeds in late April or May. Two more generations occur over summer with a lifespan of about two to six weeks each. The final generation, born around September, migrates to Mexico as fall weather begins to cool. This lucky generation of monarch lives for six to eight months as it overwinters and travels countless miles on the trip to and from Mexico. Since the overwintering monarchs do not expend as much energy on reproduction as non-migratory generations, they are able to redirect that energy into survival, extending their life.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently assessing whether the monarch needs protection under the Endangered Species Act. Their assessment is not scheduled to be completed until June 2019. In the meantime, conservationists, biologists, non-profit organizations, government agencies and others are rushing to implement conservation measures to stabilize the monarch population.

So, what can you do to help the effort? One of the most basic things we can do is add more milkweeds to our landscaping or preserve areas on our property that support milkweeds.

Roadside ditches are abundant in Illinois and do support a lot of milkweed plants. Historically, these areas have been regularly maintained with mowing, which impacts both milkweeds and monarchs alike. However, many organizations, such as IDOT and county highway departments, are becoming more aware of the importance of milkweeds and now target their mowing to avoid plants...

Recent research has identified another obstacle for monarchs. Many butterflies simply cannot find enough food along the migration route. Although caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweeds, the adult butterflies feed on nectar from flowers. So, adding flowers to the landscape is a huge help. Who doesn't like more flowers? However, many of the non-native flowers we plant do not provide food for monarchs. This is another reason why planting native species is especially important for the monarch and other pollinators.

As monarchs approach the cusp of being listed as endangered, every little bit we can do to help is much needed. My hope is that we can someday look back at monarch conservation efforts and tell a story of success, one of a species with an equally dramatic recovery as its current decline.

More at the full article here. More about creating Pollinator Pockets at the U of I Extension program.