I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Atlanta Audubon Society (AAS) April Meeting, and it was full of valuable information. The main topic of discussion for the meeting was Monarch butterflies. Guest Speaker, Trecia Neal, a Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG) member and biologist with Fernbank Science Center, gave some fascinating information about monarchs. I would like to share some of what I learned and hope you can share with others.
Hope you have expanded your knowledge on monarchs. To help protect monarchs we can plant milkweed and butterfly nectar plants. Anyone can participate in tagging monarchs as well.
- The monarch butterfly population is declining. Researchers believe the following are reasons contributing to the decline: Loss of milkweed, drought conditions, insecticide and herbicide use, and habitat loss.
- Monarchs lay their eggs on very specific plants such as Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, and Butterfly weed.
- There are two populations of monarchs in North America - one centered east of the Rocky Mountains and the other to the West. The eastern population of monarchs overwinter in Mexico and the western population overwinter along the California coast.
- Monarchs can be seen in Georgia during August and September while they are on their way to Mexico.
- Resources to learn more about monarchs include: Monarch Watch, Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, Journey North, Pollinator Partnership.
Hope you have expanded your knowledge on monarchs. To help protect monarchs we can plant milkweed and butterfly nectar plants. Anyone can participate in tagging monarchs as well.
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