by Garrett Fodor
Representatives of the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) hope to bring awareness to milkweeds and how monarch butterflies depend on the plant. As people are spending more time outside and in their own yards, it is a great opportunity to reach out to individuals, on the importance of the plant.
With temperatures rising and the calendar flipping to July, monarch butterflies are returning to Windsor-Essex as the region’s milkweeds are quickly blooming. For the monarchs, arriving in the region ends a 3,000-kilometre journey, which originates from a mountainous forest in central Mexico – their winter migration home. As they arrive, the monarchs look for the various types of milkweeds in the region, in order to lay eggs on the plants. Milkweeds are the only food monarch caterpillars will eat. According to ERCA, this region features common, swamp, and butterfly milkweed, which can all be seen in patches across ditches, gardens, and fields of Windsor-Essex.
“Monarch butterflies start their life as a tiny egg laid on the leaf of a milkweed plant as a butterfly lays a single egg on each plant,” Gina Pannunzio said, who is the Partnerships and Community Outreach Coordinator for ERCA. “As the caterpillar grows from eating the milkweed, it builds up toxins from the milkweed sap into their bodies making them taste terrible and preventing predators, like birds, from eating them. In total, adult monarchs live about a month, with their lone goal being to reproduce, as they lay 500 eggs in their lifetime.”
Pannunzio noted, however, previously the plants were looked at more as weeds and would often be cut down or sprayed with toxins, killing the plants, eggs, and overall habitats. This caused birth defects and populations to decline. On average, just one in 10 eggs will eventually turn into an adult butterfly.
She added that over the last decade, the population of the monarchs have decreased, notably in the count this February in Mexico, which was down 26-percent from last year’s numbers, provided by Journey North, which is responsible for counting the species.
The decrease is from the loss of spring and summer breeding habitats in North America, severe weather, along with changes in climate during migration, causing confusion on environmental cues on when to begin the 3,000-kilometre journey south, Pannunzio added. One special generation will live longer than six-months, known as the SUPER generation. They do not have the urge to reproduce, but rather they prepare for their incredible migration journey.
On the provincial and national level, Pannunzio noted that work has been done to recognize the concern associated with monarchs. The species is recognized as endangered on the national level and labeled as a special concern in the Province of Ontario. She added that because of this designation, it is important not to rear or capture and raise monarchs, noting that these are wild animals, with no studies or compelling evidence showing releasing them helps the overall population.
“It is not all doom and gloom and there are so many things we can all do to preserve their species and built up a habitat again,” Pannunzio said. “Even one milkweed plant is making a difference, gardening for animals is so rewarding. While monarchs need them, it will also bring other species, including pollinators and other native animals, which will help the natural cycle in the region.”
Since highlighting the importance of the milkweeds and the monarch’s dependency on them, Pannunzio noted that it is becoming more common practice to incorporate the amber coloured, common milkweed into landscaping in gardens and along ditch fronts. She added that often going for drives, she now sees people mowing around the milkweed plants as opposed to cutting them or removing them completely.
Pannunzio notes there are also other ways to involve and gain further knowledge on monarchs, including joining local organizations, such as the Essex County Field Naturalists’ Club, which hosts annual butterfly counts, or by joining local social media groups, such as Pelee Paradise Sanctuary Monarch Waystation 10275, Monarch Butterfly Enthusiasts of Windsor and Essex County, and Windsor Essex Nature Sightings.
ERCA also organizes hikes and learning activities about monarchs at Point Pelee National Park and at Ojibway Nature Centre