Monarch butterfly migration in full swing
reposted from: https://www.thenews-messenger.com/
Flight patterns bring insects to the area
The annual migration of the beautiful orange and black monarch butterfly is bringing the colorful insects to the local area and many local residents are helping them to survive.
The butterflies are not only pretty, but serve as vital parts of the ecosystem, particularly as pollinators, spreading pollen from plant to plant while searching for the nectars they eat, said Abby Ditomassi, wildlife communications specialist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
“They’re really beneficial,” Ditomassi said. She explained that the butterflies work with bees and other insects and animals to spread necessary pollens from plant to plant, allowing for healthy growth of crops and other plant life.
“That is what is so important about them,” she said.
Monarch populations have declined by as much as 80%
Populations of beneficial insects have been declining in recent years, with scientists reporting that the monarch butterfly has declined by approximately 80%. Because the annual migration of up to 2,500 miles ends with the butterflies gathering in fir trees in the mountains of Mexico, a very accurate count can easily be taken, Ditomassi said.
As monarchs’ numbers plummet, concerned individuals are attempting to help them survive by bolstering the insects’ food and shelter sources. Though adult monarchs can take sustenance from any kind of plant nectar, their caterpillars can only survive in and by eating milkweed. Due to their specific need for milkweed pods, many concerned citizens are gathering wild pods and transplanting them in their gardens, which Ditomassi encouraged.
Milkweed may be found in many varieties, growing wild throughout the area, Ditomassi said. Those hoping to propagate monarchs can easily harvest the seed pods and plant them in their gardens.
“There are free resources,” she said.
Ditomassi said she incorporates a small amount of clay and sand and makes what she calls, “seed bombs,” that help the milkweed take root.
“They’re going to be out in numbers,” the specialist said, explaining that the migratory patterns that sweep the butterflies through the region bring them around at just this time of year, as the insects move from the U.S. and even farther north.
Butterflies migrate as far north as Canada
“They can go as far as Canada,” Ditomassi said about the monarchs’ range.
In addition to the monarchs, smaller viceroy butterflies do inhabit the area, Ditomassi said. Viceroys, she said, do not have the same large, black band on the backs of their wings, and do not fly as gracefully. Viceroys flap their wings and flitter around rather than gliding on the wind, the way monarchs do. The monarchs, by comparison, are larger and more colorful.
“They’re big, bright and orange,” Ditomassi said.
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