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Hey y'all! It’s your neighborhood Ted talking about how we can help native wildlife thrive right in our own backyards. Today, I’m talking about one of nature's most mind-blowing creatures: the Monarch butterfly.
Most Monarchs live for just a few weeks in the summer, but the generation emerging right now in late summer and early fall is completely different. Known as the "super generation," these butterflies are built with extraordinary stamina. Instead of breeding right away, their bodies hold back reproduction so they can fly up to 3,000 miles, all the way to central Mexico, to hibernate for the winter. Super generation butterflies can live up to nine months!
Late summer and early fall are critical for Monarchs here in Tennessee because our state sits directly in the path of their eastern migration. Millions of butterflies journey through our state from mid-September through October, riding thermal updrafts and seeking places to fuel up.
It’s tempting to bring caterpillars indoors to rear them in mesh cages, but many butterfly experts advise against it. Raising Monarchs inside under artificial light or in close quarters can disrupt their natural migratory instincts, suppress their immunity, and spread parasites.
The best way we can support these butterflies is with our garden choices.
Plant native milkweed for the next generation of caterpillars. Milkweed (Asclepias) is the only plant Monarch caterpillars can eat. Focus on local Tennessee natives like Common Milkweed (A. syriaca), Butterfly Weed (A. tuberosa), and Swamp Milkweed (A. incarnata).
Fuel butterfly travelers with nectar. Migrating adults need high-calorie sugar to store up fat for their flight and winter survival. Plant late-blooming native nectar sources like Goldenrod, Fall Asters, Joe-Pye Weed, and Ironweed.
Just say no to pesticides. Keep your yard spray-free so caterpillars and adult butterflies can eat safely.
Check out this article for info about creating a "Monarch Waystation."
If you really, really want to raise caterpillars...
If you really, really want to raise caterpillars...
If you choose to raise caterpillars for educational fun, conservation scientists recommend the following guidelines:
Raise no more than 10 per year. Mass rearing can spread diseases.
Provide natural light & air. Keep mesh enclosures near a window with natural ambient daylight (or outdoors in a shaded, safe spot). This helps their internal biological clock sense seasonal cues for migration.
Use individual mesh popup enclosures rather than grouping caterpillars together. Clean frass (poop) daily, skip humidifiers and closed glass jars, and sanitize enclosures with a diluted 20% bleach solution between uses.
Supply fresh, pesticide-free milkweed leaves daily. Avoid placing cut stems in open water containers.
Every backyard can makes a difference for the Monarch's legendary migration.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!
Ted
What if each American landowner made it a goal to convert half of his or her lawn to productive native plant communities? Even moderate success could collectively restore some semblance of ecosystem function to more than twenty million acres of what is now ecological wasteland. How big is twenty million acres? It’s bigger than the combined areas of the Everglades, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Teton, Canyonlands, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Badlands, Olympic, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, Denali, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.
― Douglas W. Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard
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