Making a difference for Monarchs
Homeowners can make life easier for Monarch butterflies as they begin their winter migration.
Photo by Davide Mizejewski, National Wildlife Foundation
Feeling the need to travel this fall? You aren’t alone.
Some 128 million Monarch butterflies in North America will soon begin migrating south for the winter, says Mara Koenig of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Monarch Butterfly/Pollinator Program.
Monarchs in South Carolina will join the largest migration group—those living south of the Great Lakes and east of the Rocky Mountains—to make the long journey to Mexico, Koenig says. “They live for about eight months, overwintering down in Mexico and waiting for the right conditions to return to their U.S. range in the spring.”
Migrations encompass multiple generations of the colorful pollinator insects, and a successful round trip depends on two key resources—an abundance of flowering plants to provide food for adults, and plenty of milkweed stalks to host developing caterpillars. That’s why the FWS is partnering with dozens of environmental and conservation groups across the nation to promote the planting of pollinator-friendly vegetation.
“Everybody can play a part in Monarch butterfly conservation,” says Koenig. “It takes small, simple actions, such as planting milkweed in a garden or even in a pot on your balcony, to having a large swath of landscapes that are conserved for pollinator habitats.”
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Popular pollinator plants
Eastern redbud
Purple coneflower
Clovers (white and crimson)
Ironweed
Dill/Parsley/Cilantro
Joe Pye weed
Rabbiteye blueberry
Sunflower
Tulip tree
Goldenrod
Black-eyed Susan
Aster
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