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If there’s a North American insect that qualifies
for the label “charismatic,” it’s the monarch butterfly. People who recognize
no other butterfly by name know monarchs, and many even remember some of the
things that set them apart from other insects: the fact that each fall a cohort
migrates from as far north as Canada to a single mountain forest in central
Mexico; the fact that monarch caterpillars are unpalatable to would-be
predators because they feed exclusively on milkweed plants; the fact that their
striking coloration as both caterpillars and adults warns predators away, and is
mimicked by other butterflies that are not actually toxic.
Fewer people are aware that, like many other
charismatic creatures, monarchs are declining rapidly as a species—by a
staggering 90 percent over the past two decades. The wintering population of
monarchs in Mexico is estimated according to the amount of forest they occupy,
and this year that area was only 1.7 acres. That’s a record low, and it’s less
than half of last year’s area, which was itself a record low. Worse, these low
numbers are in line with long-term trends.
When faced with such news, many people ask first,
“What can individuals do to help?” The frustrating answer to that question is
typically, “nothing.” No matter how far a person goes to reduce her own carbon
footprint, for example, she’s not going to preserve polar bear habitat on her
own.
The case is somewhat different with monarchs,
though, because people can provide important habitat for them in home
landscaping—just by cultivating some milkweed for monarch caterpillars to feed
on as they mature.
Before you turn your nose up at the idea of installing
a plant with a name that includes “weed,” be aware that some members of the
milkweed family are quite pretty and well-behaved, completely at home even in the
most conventional flower garden. That’s especially true of the species commonly
called “butterfly milkweed.” Butterfly milkweed is an easy-to-grow perennial
characterized by attractive foliage and bright orange flowers. I’ve planted
everywhere I’ve lived over the past two decades, and the monarchs have never
failed to find it.
Fortunately for residents of east central
Illinois, an opportunity to buy butterfly milkweed is upon us. It’s the annual
native plant sale conducted by the local land conservation group Grand Prairie
Friends. I spoke recently with James Ellis, board president for the group, and
he assured me they hundreds of butterfly milkweed plants ready to go.
In addition, he pointed out, they have also
cultivated another milkweed species for sale this year, Sullivant’s milkweed,
which is a taller, slightly wilder looking cousin whose flowers come out in a
pinkish-purple cluster three inches across.
I should emphasize that in addition to the two
milkweeds, more than 60 other species of perennial plants native to our region
will be available at the sale, including wide varieties of both grasses and
flowers. While these may not host monarch caterpillars, they benefit other
native insects in ways exotic plants do not. This, in turn, provides an
important benefit to all wildlife of our area, because insects are a source of
food for so many other creatures.
Details about the sale including a complete list
of plants available are can be found at http://grandprairiefriends.org.
