To solve the butterfly crisis Mexico built a highway
Last edited Tue Dec 15, 2015, 05:35 PM - Edit history (1)
To solve the butterfly crisis Mexico built a highway
magazine / 15 December 15 / by Kathryn Nave
Each autumn, millions of monarch butterflies fly up to 3,200 killometres from North America to gather in a tiny patch of forest in Michoacán, Mexico. But their numbers are falling fast.
"As recently as 1993, more than a billion butterflies would overwinter in Mexico," says Daniel Ashe, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Services. "In 2013, there were just 33 million. That's a 97 percent drop." The reason: increasingly efficient agricultural practices eradicating the milkweed that is the monarch caterpillar's sole food source.
To combat this, in May 2015, the White House announced the creation of a 2,400 kilometres monarch migration highway that will follow the route of Interstate 35 from the top of Minnesota to the bottom of Texas.
"We're going to enlist transportation departments, utility companies, farms, school groups and homeowners to plant milkweed along the route," says Ashe. "Whether it's in back yards or a national park."
More:
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-12/15/us-migrating-butterflies-big-picture
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-12/15/us-migrating-butterflies-big-picture
Environment & Energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112795003
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I believe Roundup will kill the Milkweed, though since I've never owned any RoundUp, I haven't performed this experiment myself.
I DID spend a Summer in Minnesota photographing this amazing and beautiful insect. I specifically wanted "in flight" photos, but found them very difficult to capture due to the erratic path of the Butterflies.
No single Monarch Butterfly lives through the entire round trip migration (4000 miles?).
It is a beginning...we have always had milkweed and goldenrod growing here for the Monarchs and many other butterfly's, birds etc. I'll harvest seed pods to send them for starting and replanting in the corridor. We really should have both plants because the migrating butterfly's need the goldenrod to feed on.
I need to learn how to plant seeds for transplants so I can create large patches of milkweed. Mine have always planted themselves or grown as clones from runners.
They both look like plants which could easily be worked into ordinary landscaping. They are pretty, too, besides being amazingly health-promoting.
Milkweed plants:
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Golden Rod:
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Thanks for passing along your information, haikugal. It's landscaping which does other good work besides being pretty.
I've had such energetic milkweed plants they raced around like wildfire from runners. Very impressive! I started wondering if it's better to keep them all in containers.. All they need is a chance to grow, and they can be of use to so many airborne friends.
Once they get started milkweed is very easy and they smell wonderful. Our goldenrod is famous for being full of praying mantis and being so tall...you can get lost in there. 
Good job Judi Lynn....love the pictures.
I'm also getting interested in mushrooms. I believe we have a down tree that is producing wonderful clumps of oyster mushroom. If I can be sure they're oysters, yum. Sorry OT.
