Where Have All The Monarchs Gone?

: Female Monarch Butterfly

: Monarch Caterpillar Feeding

: Male Monarch Butterfly

Have you seen any Monarchs this year in Pennsylvania? Probably not. The Monarch population is decreasing at an alarming rate! Why?

Monarch butterflies need nectar from flowers and the Monarch larva (caterpillar) only eats milkweed. Unfortunately 90% of milkweed and Monarch habitat occurs within agricultural areas and these areas are disappearing due to development. The use of herbicides is another contributing factor to disappearing habitat. The use of herbicides in farming is eradicating the milkweed because milkweed is poisonous and farmers do not want it in their fields. A milkweed plant bound in a bale of hay or eaten by a grazing cow can result in disastrous consequences. The poison, however, is beneficial to the Monarch. The Monarch’s bright orange color warns birds that it is poisonous. The caterpillar only ingests milkweed, consequently during the final stage the butterfly is poisonous. The milkweed plant also grows frequently along roadsides where herbicide sprays and cutting are used to kill roadside growth. Weather has also been unkind to the Monarchs. Migration, life cycle stages, and winter habitat are influenced by weather conditions. The 4th generation of Monarchs migrate from Pennsylvania to Continue reading →