Milkweed & The Monarch Butterfly: An Endangered Species In Canada
The monarch butterfly population in North America has plummeted over the past two decades.
Here in Canada, they are becoming scarce. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, 90 percent of the monarch butterflies that migrate from Mexico to Canada have disappeared.
There is a petition you can sign that supports the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada's recommendation to list monarchs as an endangered species under the Species at Risk Act.
You can also submit photos and tracking details to Mission Monarch to help document the monarch’s reproductive success. It's pretty easy to maintain. (1) Find milkweed (2) Verify the presence of monarch (3) Write your observations (4) Sign up and send your data.
Another easy solution: GROW MILKWEED!
Milkweed is the only thing that the monarchs eat. As more land is cultivated for homes, farms etc, the less milkweed there is growing wild. Plant some in the back of your garden, in a hedge on your farm, or anywhere on your land.
Common Milkweed: This pops up everywhere. In my carrot bed, amongst the zucchini and we are thrilled that we don't have to plant any.
I have to say, sitting in the garden observing the caterpillars, checking each day to see if any transformations are underway - is exciting. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to see some Monarch butterflies before they migrate.
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Next time I get seeds I'll definitely get some milkweed! We have plenty of room to add some around and share the space with butterflies. 🦋
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It is truly a beautiful plant and there are many varieties - I keep thinking we should plant a whole row just to see what happens - the thought of hundreds of butterflies taking flight around us is quite appealing.
Ooh, that is a lovely thought!
Spectacular images!!
I honestly had no idea this species of butterfly was endangered. How sad.
Where I live, I have seen more butterflies this year than any other year at least in the past decade or so, but honestly, no Monarch.
This year I noticed a huge spike in their population thanks to a massive wildflower bloom in california and a mild summer here in chicago. To help them out just plant lots of milkweed.
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It's not uncommon for a species to have a strong year sometimes. Here also birds and parasites find their host and reduce the population again. In the following year the parasite hardly finds a host and this population of parasites collapses. Now the butterfly (egg and caterpillar) can recover and the population rises again. This is how nature has worked for thousands of years. We humans intervene more and more often in this cycle and destroy habitats. The agricultural industry creates gigantic monocultures with all their disadvantages for flora and fauna. In many areas the biodiversity in the cities is higher than in the countryside. Habitat destruction, eutrophication and pesticides are the insects' greatest enemies.
Greetings from Germany 🦋
We haven't seen lots of monarchs in years. At best, 1 - 3 in a season. But this year we are loaded with them. There must be 3 -5 out there most of the time. Not sure why the change this year. One would think the terrible construction would chase them off...
Maybe there's a big patch of milkweed growing nearby? You have such a lovely garden even with all the construction I am sure it offers a wonderful habitat.
My husband did tell me that we had a good stand up at the barn, between the shelters. But there were no butterflies, caterpillars or chrysalis then. I also have a little stand of butterflyweed that they like in the New Herb garden. But I seldom see them by it, more in the middle where it was never weeded. Maybe that's a clue... :))
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