Dr. Chip Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch, told more than 100 butterfly breeders, enthusiasts and citizen scientists Saturday night that the entirety of this year’s migrating Monarch butterfly population may occupy only a half of a hectare–or about 1.25 acres–in Mexico. That would make this year’s Monarch population the smallest in its recorded history.
“We had some really robust Monarch butterfly populations in the 90s,” Taylor said. “But we’re never going to see those again.”
“We all have to work together to create Monarch habitat,” Taylor told the combined audience of International Butterfly Breeders Association and the Association for Butterflies in San Antonio. The conference convened to celebrate the 15th birthday of the butterfly breeding business, widely acknowledged to be founded by Rick Mikula, “the butterfly guy.”
Taylor’s presence at the convention was a hopeful sign that the academic/scientist community might be able to find common ground with professional breeders who supply hundreds of thousands of butterflies, caterpillars and eggs each year to schools, festivals, exhibits and other events. The relationship has been taxed in the past by differences of opinion on the appropriateness of butterfly releases.
One point of agreement: Monarchs are not only the “money crop” for breeders, they also are the poster species for climate change and habitat destruction.
Borrowing from lectures that he delivers regularly to students at the University of Kansas at Lawrence with titles like “The World of 2040” and “Humans & Climate: Past, Present and Future,” Taylor summarized the scenarios shared by the recently released United Nations Climate Change report. The report includes research that suggests global warming will
IBBA president Kathy Marshburn suggested that IBBA breeders, who live in at least 30 states and 13 different countries, could easily participate in the Monarch Watch’s Monarch Waystation program. The program, launched in 2005, encourages the public, schools and others to create pollinator habitat by planting milkweed gardens for Monarch butterflies, something that every breeder does in the course of their business.
“That would be a simple thing to accomplish,” said Marshburn, who committed to discussing a resolution by the IBBA Board of Directors to implement such a program. “It makes perfect sense,” she said, “and will push us more toward conservation efforts.”
Taylor has a decades long passion for pollinators. He began his career studying sulphurs, the ubiquitous yellow butterflies that feed on legumes such as clovers and alfalfa. He was forced to leave that field of study after developing an allergy to them–an apparently not uncommon occurrence in science when one spends lots of time with a particular species.
Perhaps most important, though, is how Monarch Watch has engaged average citizens in hands-on understanding of conservation and the environment.
Taylor, 76, said he feels a sense of urgency to engage the public in pollinator protection. He has no qualms about tapping the popularity of Monarch butterflies to do so. “There’s an innate interest in this mysterious insect,” he said.
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7 Responses
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steve oneil
Monica, It was nice to meet you at the convention. I think chip missed a big one! The thousands of monarchs killed by automobiles and trucks. Do you think we should outlaw driving automobiles. There needs to be a study of how many monarchs are slaughtered on the highways along with the millions of other butterflies killed by automobiles.
steve
Monika Maeckle
Whatever you say, Steve. –MM
Anne Frosch
The fact that their count is down does not surprise me, but it does sadden me. At last count, I now have 42 Monarch chrysalis in my tiny backyard. I really hope they can ll make the trip home!
Beth Robinson
I’m having a hard time keeping the tropical milkweed fresh for the caterpillars after I cut it to bring it inside. They end up wilting and do not make for very tasty looking food. And the plant itself is not in very good shape. It has mold on the bottoms of the leaves so I am struggling to find tasty bits for the little guys. any suggestions?