You are in a position to help save Monarch Butterflies from extinction! To begin, click on the 4 minute video below (best viewed full screen).
Since the 1990's there has been an 80% decline
in the Central Monarch population. (Zone B below)
Since the 1980's, the Western Monarch population
has declined by 99%. (Zone A below)
How you can help.
Plant native milkweed in your yard or in containers 12" in diameter, smaller pots, will do. Since I've not had any success with native milkweed, I've grown tropical milkweed instead, but it has to be cut back to 4 inch stalks around December 31st or they become a grave danger to future generations of monarch butterflies. (scroll down for explanation). It should also be mentioned that when your new tropical milkweeds are mature enough, the seed pods must be harvested and composted in order to prevent the seeds from spreading in the wild which could be disastrous. (scroll down for explanation).
Follow the steps below and grow your own milkweed butterfly forest.
Step 1: I drop about 30 seeds into a glass of water to soak overnight or two, which might shorten germination time. Once under ground, it took 17 days for these seeds to germinate. (That was 3 years ago). This year the seeds sprouted in 7 days. (see Figure 2)
Figure 1
Figure 2 Topical milkweed sprouts September 23, 2003
Why we have to harvest and compost
tropical milkweed seedpods and cut back
tropical milkweed plants to 4 inches by December 31st.
Click on the PBS video below.
Ophryocystis elektroscirria, is a protozoan (single celled) organism that infects monarch butterflies when they land on infested tropical milkweed. It accumulates on next season's tropical milkweed if not cut back in January.
Ophryocytis elektroscirria (
OE)
, first grows on tropical milkweed then infects monarch larvae. (scroll down to OE). Because tropical milkweed grows year round, the
concentration of OE on subsequent milkweed seasons increases the infection rate on Monarch butterflies. Native milkweed dies back during the winter.When monarch butterflies land on second season tropical milkweed, they pick up OE which infects their offspring.
OE damage takes place during the chrysalid stage.
(S
ee Figure 3)
While the infected monarch adults do not survive to migrate, they do spread the protozoan parasite.
Vigilant
FIGURE 3 SIGNS OF OE INFECTION:
SPORES SEEN AS DARK PATCHES IN A MONARCH BUTTERFLY CHRYSALIS
Photo credit: University of Georgia, Athens
OE damage takes place during the chrysalid stage. While the infected adults do not survive to migrate, they do spread the protozoan parasite. If you see the sign of infection above, keep this butterfly isolated when it emerges.
Here's an interesting way to attract butterflies to your garden
by Walter Reeves of the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
