Written by Ida Ghorbani (Environmental Justice Eco Rep)
Every year in late September through October, almost half a million Monarch butterflies begin making their way from where they hatched in the north to Mexico, marking the start of a truly remarkable 1,500 mile-long journey.
Being in Texas, we have the unique opportunity of being one of the states the Monarchs migrate through, making us able to witness this incredible process when it occurs both in the fall and spring. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas is a particularly significant state for this migration “because it is situated between the principal breeding grounds in the north and the overwintering areas in Mexico”. In fact, this migration is so important to us Texans, that the Monarch butterfly is even our state butterfly! However, there may one day be a time where future Texans are no longer able to experience this natural wonder.
Last year, Monarchs were officially identified as an endangered species. Unfortunately, much of their breeding grounds have been in decline primarily because of things like the effects of pesticides and changing habitat conditions due to climate change. While they are back to only being considered as “threatened” this year, there’s no denying that our orange-winged friends are in dire need of protection. So, how can we help Monarch butterflies?
Well, one great way to get involved is to either is with some citizen science — helping with tracking and tagging the butterflies! As Monarch populations decline, it’s even more important for scientists and conservationists to be able to keep track of the amount of Monarchs coming through the US and where they are going . When a Monarch butterfly is tagged, people along the way of their migration path are able to observe them and record that the same butterfly was spotted at different locations — helping scientists in their critical research on Monarch populations.
A couple of weeks ago, the Office of Sustainability hosted our very own Monarch butterfly tagging event at the Canyon Creek Wetlands right by our campus! With the help of 10 volunteers, our resident bug-expert and Sustainability Coordinator Danielle Dunn led us through the tagging process. We walked around with bug-catching nets in groups, keeping our eyes peeled for anything small and orange flying by. Once caught, the butterfly was carefully handled by one person, while the other helped get the tag sticker ready and recorded key observations on a sheet (including the gender of the butterfly, the day it was caught, and its tagging number). The whole process of placing the tag on the butterfly is done quicky and with much caution to keep the Monarchs safe.
Check out the photos below for snapshots of the event!
Danielle teaching volunteers how to distinguish between male and female Monarchs.
Out in the field, looking for Monarchs to catch and tag!
Going through the process of tagging and recording after successfully catching one!
Done! Now, on to releasing this Monarch back to the wild, where it can continue on in its migration journey.
It was truly such a touching and rewarding experience overall to be able to see these wonderful creatures up close and to be able to play a role in their conservation. We hope that our Monarchs that we tagged are able to safely make it through their migration and return back to us in the spring.
Another great way to help support these beautiful butterflies throughout their migration is to plant native milkweed at your own home — a fitting time to start planting is in the fall! Milkweed is the Monarch butterfly’s only host plant, meaning they rely on these plants to lay their eggs and for the hatched caterpillars to feed on. When planting milkweed, it’s important to keep in mind to grow native milkweed rather than tropical milkweed, since they’re more suited to our local habitat! According to Monarch Watch, the best milkweed to grow here in Texas include green antelope horn milkweed, antelope horn milkweed, broadleaf milkweed, Zizotes milkweed, swamp milkweed, and butterfly weed (find out which milkweed is best to grow in your area here!). Check out this website to hear about the steps and some advice on the process of growing native milkweed from an experienced Master Gardener in the Dallas area. If you’re looking for milkweed seeds to plant, check out Native American Seed (seedsource.com)!
Learn about other ways you can contribute and make a difference on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website!
Whether you get involved in citizen science, make your backyard more Monarch-friendly, or just help raise awareness, there’s a lot that we can do to help out these incredible creatures. With these efforts, hopefully future generations will be able to continue to witness the marvel of Monarch migration for years to come.
Sources:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/texas_nature_trackers/monarch/
https://www.science.org/content/article/monarchs-drop-out-migration-game-pick-more-parasites
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