Migratory monarch butterfly now endangered

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/01/26/western-monarch-butte...

I have vivid memories as a child of what was likely thousands of monarch butterflies every summer, probably until I was 10 or so, in and around the flowers and plants. Then then open pastures behind my parents house were bulldozed and a private housing estate was built and at the same time my parents also tarred their front drive. From then on the butterflies started to dwindle significantly. Those two events were the only great change in the immediate surroundings until twelve-or-so years later when a brutal winter killed a lot of the trees and plants.

Never again have I see as many in a single place.

If one wants to help the monarchs, and several other pollinator species, then plant swamp and common milkweed. They grow very easily and actually have pleasant blooms.

It’s almost as of the problem couldn’t be simpler to solve. Just plant these and watch how much activity they generate almost immediately. I did it and have been seeing monarch butterflies lately. Not a lot, but some.

Biology is a very existing field from the standpoint of mathematical formalism, which is lacking relative to the much older field of Physics. In this regard, I'm reminded of how the overly simple math of Mendelian inheritance motivated the bad policy of eugenics [2].

I welcome any proper Biologists to correct my remarks. I have but passing interest!

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_erosion

[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Mendelian_inheritance

Similar story with a much larger animal; the American bison. The low end estimates say their used to be 30 million roaming the plains. There are half a million now, most livestock. We'll never get them back.

Monarch butterflies in California need eucalyptus trees for their winter roost https://milliontrees.me/2013/11/01/monarch-butterflies-in-ca...

I've been visited by so so many different butterflies this year. I'm in Zone 6B, central NJ. I planted asclepias tuberosa (mexican milkweed, orange flowers, medium height), lots of agastache, eupatorium (little joe pyeweed), and monarda. Highly recommend doing some research on natives.

it's not unusual to spot a monarch somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, like an oil rig, but it's not entirely clear how many try to take that 900 mile flight... it's more likely they're blown off course and won't make it to shore unless wind conditions are just right enough to carry them

Two ways.

Gradually, then suddenly."

-- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

In the years following when we stopped by it was grim, so few of them.

Overwintering sites, not breeding sites. Monarchs migrating south & at the winter roosting sites don't need milkweed since they're not breeding or laying eggs. While the overwintering sites are in Central Mexico, the breeding sites for the northern migrants is in the Southwestern US - where they do need milkweed. Exposure to milkweed while overwintering triggers breeding and laying eggs, which is disruptive to the migration pattern. Native Milkweed elsewhere along the northern migration path is beneficial, just not where they're wintering.

Small conservation efforts really do make a difference. Don't be discouraged that you're not fixing the big issues. Pollinator gardens will improve biodiversity in your own little corner of the world, and that's worthwhile in and of itself.

(2) "Raise the migration" - plant native milkweed in your region and learn how to raise butterflies for release. I followed tips on this blog (link below) for the past two years and have released more than 50+ healthy monarchs into the wild. It's been very fun and rewarding, but unfortunately this year I observed far fewer monarchs in our region compared to previous years. They need our help.

https://monarchbutterflylifecycle.com/blogs/raise/raise-the-...

Oak trees build ecosystems because an unusually large number of species of insect and birds use them and what feeds on them for food.

I always thought they were all migratory, but I guess some populations stick around in areas and aren't in as much danger.

I see them not infrequently on the East Coast.

Some people advocate growing it because it's fast-growing, robust, and provides plentiful food. My understanding is that, if you do plant it, cut it well down in winter to prevent the spread of OE.

In my own experience in California, the Monarchs really prefer to nectar and lay eggs on tropical rather than the native narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis). We've been purging our garden of the tropical anyway.

There are also some milkweed adjacent non-natives that they sort of like, e.g., Gomphocarpus physocarpus (aka Asclepias physocarpa). Again, my understanding is that the jury's out as to whether it's a good plant to have around for the Monarchs. It ceryainly is a striking plant that gets a lot of attention!

Alas, I fear those traits may be too deeply rooted in our our own nature and nurture that our demise may be inevitable.

The issue, in so much as there is one, is the speed at which that change is happening.

I see no reason why we should specifically pursue growth, rather than a stable population. Short-term population decrease would even be a good thing, as the older and larger generations eventually pass on and their children and grandchildren have fewer children of their own.