Monarch Days

This morning we visited Wings of Paradise. This is a special weekend at the butterfly conservatory – it’s Monarch Days! We were the first visitors in the doors at 10:00 a.m We were amazed at how active the butterflies were. It was either because it was early in the morning and there weren’t many people around, or because the sun was shining at that time, or because their nectar and fruit treats were just being put out. That was one of the bonuses of our visit. I don’t think I’ve seen that many butterflies flying around since my very first visit to Wings of Paradise.

The primary reason for this morning’s visit was for Monarch Days. They weren’t flying around in droves throughout the conservatory as I had thought they would. Instead, they were being collected from the wild in order to be tagged then re-released. We learned how to tell the difference between male and female Monarchs, and we watched a couple of them being tagged – a simple, tiny sticker printed with tracking information. We were told that several years ago, they were only able to collect 17 or 18 butterflies for Monarch Days. Last year, they collected around 200. This year they have collected around 500, and could easily collect 1000 if they had the manpower. Most of the butterflies were caught in the fields surrounding Wings of Paradise. Three times a day, the staff release tagged Monarchs back into the wild. We stayed to watch the first release at 11:30 a.m. We were pleased to learn that we would be able to release a butterfly ourselves! We were given a little triangular cardboard folder with a butterfly inside. All we had to do was open the folder up and watch our butterfly fly away! We were surprised again when one of the staff brought us another butterfly to release! This one seemed to be quite cozy in his little folder, as he did not want to fly away for quite some time (both of our butterflies were males). After a little while, I was able to coax him onto a flower, and then he flew away.

How cool is that?

Why do they celebrate Monarch Days? Because the Monarch butterflies need our help. Their resources are declining. *Milkweeds and nectar sources are declining due to development and the widespread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations. Why we are concerned:

• Farm and ranch land is disappearing at a rate of nearly 3,000 acres per day. In a 5-year period starting in 1992, 6 million acres of farmland (an area the size of the state of Maryland) were converted to subdivisions, factories, and other developments (www.farmland.org)
• Widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant corn and soybeans in the last 5 years has resulted in the loss of at least 80 million acres of monarch habitat
• Use of herbicides along roadsides continues to reduce milkweeds and nectar plants

* Information taken from a brochure provided by www.monarchwatch.org

If you would like to help contribute to Monarch conservation, you could consider creating a Monarch Waystation – an intermediate, resource-rich stop along the Monarch’s route through its annual fall and spring migrations. Check out the links at www.monarchwatch.org to find out how. You can even certify your waystation. Upon certification your site will be included in the International Monarch Waystation Registry, an online database of Monarch Waystations, and you will be awarded a certificate bearing your site’s Monarch Waystation ID number. Furthermore, you become eligible to display a weatherproof sign that identifies your Monarch habitat as an official Monarch Waystation. This display helps convey the conservation message to those who visit your Monarch Waystation and may encourage them to create their own Monarch habitat.

If you were looking for something new to do with your garden, I’ve got your answer right here!