Fleming College students spend summer saving monarch butterflies from certain death
reposted from https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/
Jenna Lynch and Jaime Jackson more than happy to spend their summer rescuing eggs and caterpillars
[Conservation biology student Jenna Lynch, with a helping hand from fellow Fleming College student Jaime Jackson, spent the summer rescuing monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars from certain death. The two accumulated dozens of hours in a makeshift nursery at the Frost Campus in Lindsay, releasing the butterflies into the wild after they hatched.]
Two Fleming College students are saving the recently declared endangered monarch butterfly, one egg — or caterpillar — at a time.
Earlier this summer, conservation biology students Jenna Lynch and Jaime Jackson began rescuing monarch eggs and caterpillars from the leaves of the dog-strangling vine plant found growing at the Frost Campus. Over time, their search grew to include boulevards and ditches around Lindsay, scouring those areas for both dog-strangling vine and milkweed before the municipality mowed the area.
Milkweed is crucial to the life of a monarch butterfly. Monarchs lay their eggs on its leaves, and when the eggs hatch, the young caterpillars feast on those leaves.
Dog-strangling vine is an invasive species that bears a strong resemblance to milkweed, said Jackson.
Unfortunately, monarchs will confuse the two plants, and lay their eggs on the plant, which has no nutritional value for the hatching caterpillars, causing the insects to quickly die.
Once an egg or a caterpillar was found, Jackson and Lynch brought it to a makeshift monarch nursery at the campus, where it was raised until it pupated into a monarch butterfly and was released back into the wild.
It’s a tedious job that couldn’t have come at a more urgent time.
In July, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature placed the monarch butterfly on its endangered species list.
“It’s a long time coming, getting monarchs the classification they need,” Lynch said, adding that more needs to be done if the species will be saved.
Monarchs migrate from Canada, through the U.S. and to Mexico each year.
While the species may be protected, Lynch explained that migratory path — and the milkweed plant — will also need that same level of protection.
She points out everyone needs to do their part to make sure this crucial insect survives, and that can include changing attitudes around what’s considered a garden nuisance or a helpful pollinator.
Unfortunately, Lynch said, caterpillars can be seen as pests due to their need to feed off foliage.
“I think people forget that in order to get a butterfly, you need to have a caterpillar first,” she said.
Lynch also cautions against starting your own monarch rescue operation. Eggs and young caterpillars are very fragile, and she said those who don’t know what they’re doing can cause more harm than good.
The best way to help, she said, is to plant milkweed, pull out dog-strangling vine and stop using pesticides.
While their work in the monarch nursery is slowing down, Lynch and Jackson have their eyes set on what lies ahead.
Both have graduated from conservation biology, and both are continuing their education at Fleming, enrolled in duo-diploma programs; Jackson in ecosystem management and Lynch in forestry.