Eastern Monarch Butterflies May Be At Risk Of Extinction Within 20 Years

I just ordered 1000 milkweed seeds to plant for food for them. I don't know if it will attract them or not but have to try.

Should be in my mailbox any day

Thanks for the thread on this. The Monarchs and bees alike are suffering greatly from the GM chemicals. While on the West coast, I'll try to help anyway. Would suspect the population here would follow the east coast if something is not done to help stop the problem. Good info about ways to do something. I'm relocating soon and am very happy I'll have more adequate garden access and will see what I can do.

I looked it up seems not all states have the same rules on shipping of the Monarch eggs and caterpillars in rearing kits. It varies with milkweed shipment as well in the kits.

I applaud all of your -- including the OP -- who provide for a safe and comfortable place for butterflys to cavort around. You could do a hell of a lot worse.

Those things used to be everywhere when I was a kid, and come to think of it, I haven't seen those common white ones in awhile either. Very depressing.

a reply to: argentus

Thanks for that post.
It reminds me of what my garden has turned into.

I used to have over a dozen rose bushes in my yard....they are high maintenance....and that maintenance required chemicals I was no longer willing to use.
So, all but two of them are gone...and I replaced them with low maintenance flowering shrubs and perennials....with a few annuals for color.
My criteria was plants that would attract bees and butterflies.
It really prettier and less work...and I get all the pollinators I can.
I also let the coreopsis set seed and get goldfinches flitting around from midsummer on.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Nice fear mongering by the environmentals i noticed this fear mongering on vox.

Monarch butterflies coming back

This is so damn sad.

Is it glypohoste? Climate change? Both? Neither?

a reply to: kosmicjack

From your source...if there has been a resurgence....I sure don't see it around here.
At times, there would be more than one in my yard at a time.
I still get butterflies....but not the monarchs in the numbers I once saw.

Part of the problem is that much of the butterflies’ natural habitat has been reduced and endangered by herbicide, pesticide, and loss of open land. Monarchs eat and lay their eggs on milkweed plants, which have seen a significant decline in recent years. The U.S. has a five-year plan to reintroduce milkweed along the monarchs’ migration path, both by planting and reducing pesticide use in areas where it grows.

Another part of the problem is the amount of illegal logging in Mexico. Logging in the forests where the monarchs wait out the winter is against the law, but illegal remains an issue, which might make all the work that the U.S. and Canada does useless. If the butterflies can’t find adequate shelter in the forests, they’d be exposed to the fatal cold and rain.

www.record-eagle.com...

How does one start an art endeavor to raise awareness and funds to save them? All I can offer is material and illustration. My grandpas farm where I grew up great grandma used to have a spice and herb garden. When I was really little I used to follow her like a stray dog and her garden was always filled with them. She died in 2005 at 102 years old and I miss her alot. The butterflies in her garden, when I see butterflies I think of her.

I grew up next to a park, and I have very fond memories in the 60's and early 70's of the annual migration of the Monarchs...

Sometimes the park would have millions of them in it, a virtual sea of orange and black... now days, I very rarely even see just a single one.

Sad state of affairs we have put our planet and fellow residents in.

Ironic that the extinction of the human species would probably be the best thing for everything else on this planet. Maybe that should tell us something.

a reply to: RickinVa

About 10 years ago I went North up I-35 out of Laredo, and hit so many I had to stop three times to clean the truck grill off because it was running hot. I haven't seen the like since.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

You have to wonder, with all these species disappearing, and at the speed we are rendering our planet less and less habitable, when will it be our turn? People get sad, rightfully, about something like this, but they don't seem to grasp what the Earth is telling us, we are KILLING this world.

Around here, I didn't see any for most of the summer, then I finally saw a few here and there late in the season last year. We have plenty of wild milkweeds around here including orange butterfly weed and Joe Pie weed. Although fairly plentiful, most of it grows along the roadsides and increases butterfly road kill. It's really hard to avoid them driving a car or most any vehicle on a road with these type of wildflowers.

a reply to: RickinVa

That would be a site to behold, you were very lucky!!!
When you see things like that, you figure that wildlife will always be around.

Stop buying Dow and Monsanto chemical products or GMO corn. Don't use weed killer. Hope for warmer winters in Mexico where they migrate.

a reply to: Dutchowl

Thank you!!!

We are killing our pollinators. Does Monsanto care? I don't know, but I would guess that they don't, because they are concerned about corporate profits, not the long view of butterflies and bees. Remember what Einstein said about bees? Yeah, well it also applies (imo) to the other polllinators.

Da-yum, we are collective fools if we don't wise up

a reply to: Brotherman

what you can offer is powerful and influential. I don't know the answer to your question, but I will find out.

a reply to: argentus

It's all about profit and bottom line.
The large corporations don't care what they do to our foods, as long as we keep buying and buying.
They certainly don't care for pollinators....I'm sure they would prefer some other method to pollinate.

Hmm I guess GMO'd foods, Monsanto, Global warming, aliens and the lightning bolt of zeus must have decreased this year because the Monarchs are massively on the rise

phys.org...
www.biologicaldiversity.org...
www.cbc.ca...
www.popsci.com...
www.oregonlive.com...

Since we blame Monsanto, Genetic modification, chemtrails etc for their decrease, we obviously must owe them thanks for doing what they are doing to get the monarchs back on track?