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Discover the Monarch butterfly

FALLBROOK – The Monarch butterfly, danaus plexippus, is an easily recognizable orange, black and white butterfly. Monarchs are located all over the United States, and they are well known for their late summer/autumn migration.

During spring, monarchs leave Mexico and migrate into Texas and Oklahoma then up through the Midwest, and finally up into the Great Lakes region. By late summer, the monarchs have flown to Canada. From September and early October, the migration to Mexico begins. However, during the summer, many Western monarchs migrate to coastal areas of Central and Southern California instead of flying all the way to Mexico.

Monarch butterflies have a wingspan of 3-4 inches and they are brightly colored in order to show predators that they are poisonous. Male monarchs are larger than the females, the orange coloring is brighter, and they are typically heavier than females.

The male Monarch can also be distinguished from the female by noting the two visible black spots on the insect's hind wings and the thinner black veins within the wings. The female's black veins are thicker and she has no identifying wing spot. Female monarchs also have thicker wings, which make the female wings less likely to be damaged during the lengthy migration.

Unfortunately, the Monarch population is rapidly declining.

In December 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Monarch butterfly is now considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In the last 20 years, the Monarch population has declined 99.9%.

During the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count in the 1980s, the Monarch population was 1.2 million. However, during the 2020 Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count, only 1,914 monarchs were counted.

This massive decline is due to the use of pesticides, as well as wildfires and climate change. The decline is also due to a lack of knowledge about the Monarch caterpillars' sole host plant, the milkweed.

The milkweed plant is the only host plant for the Monarch caterpillar, and it can grow up to five feet tall. This perennial attracts many different types of butterflies, as well as bees and hummingbirds. There are more than 100 native milkweed species, however, one well known milkweed can actually be harmful to Monarchs, the Tropical milkweed.

Tropical milkweed is a non-native species, and it blooms at a different time than the natives. This interferes with the ideal Monarch migration and breeding times, which confuses the Monarch.

In order to keep the Monarch butterfly from becoming extinct, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages all organizations, agencies, and individuals to get involved and work to preserve the Monarch. One way people can help to preserve the Monarch is by planting native milkweed in their yard. They can also reduce their use of pesticides, and educate others on how to help preserve the Monarchs.

By working together and educating each other, individuals can help be the change and preserve the Monarch butterfly.

To learn more about the Monarch butterfly or to buy native milkweed seeds and starts, visit https://wingsofchange.us/.

Submitted by Wings of Change.

 

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