The word Monarch dates back as old as the Greek “monarkhes” and the Late Latin “monarcha” or one who rules alone. It was only in the late 19th century that a large and quite beautiful butterfly was given the regal name monarch. This king of butterflies is only one in a long list of fauna and flora disappearing at a rapid rate due to mankind’s mischievous and misguided war against nature. They are becoming endangered. Will their departure, as their name connotes, be heralded as the king of extinction?
The Christian Science Monitor tells this grim tale only too well. According to Conservationists at the Center for Biological Diversity, monarch populations have declined by 90 percent in the past 20 years!
A Kingly Journey
Monarchs travel vast formidable distances across North America spanning ranges of 2,000 to 3,000 miles. This cross continental migration traverses from Mexico, to the Rocky Mountains, into the great plains of Canada and even further into the Pacific Northwest. This passage is astounding considering their wing span is a mere 9 to 10 centimeters. It requires four generations to make this airborne voyage. The illustrious milkweed plant is the one and only place they can lay and hatch their young during this pilgrimage. This weed of North America once flourished abundantly across the continent. Today it is the victim of modern industrial agriculture, almost eradicated from the landscape. What happened?
GMO’s Mean Bye Bye Milkweed
Only a handful of countries produce GMO crops and North America is the leader in quantity and in acres planted. Here in the U.S. about 90% of corn, soy and cotton are grown with GMO technology. This technology creates genes that have been artificially manipulated in a laboratory, creating living organisms that have never before occurred in nature. Most of this genetic tinkering creates plants that are intolerant to heavy applications of herbicides. Farmers who plant GMO can spray with wild abandon killing all weeds, wildflowers and native plants in their wake. Everything is done off except the GMO plant. Milkweed has fallen prey to this sinister barrage of BT, Glyphosate (Roundup Ready) and now 2,4-D (Agent Orange). Milkweed is particularly susceptible to these herbicides and has all but disappeared from the continent.
A Royal Eradication
The situation is so dire that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering increasing protections for the majestic butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. They may indeed join the endangered species list in 2015! This comes as a response to a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, AZ, the Center for Food Safety in Washington, D.C, and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, OR.
What Can You Do?
Always choose foods that are certified organically grown. Crops grown without Big Ag’s toxic herbicides protect the natural biodiversity of the earth. This rule is especially important when buying products made of soy, corn and cotton. Find out more about choosing Non-GMO food when shopping.
You can also plant milkweed species that are native to your area. Plant them in your yard, garden and alongside your road. Cultivate areas of wild native plants and always include milkweed. Never use pesticides and herbicides on your lawn and garden.
Go ahead and sign the petition requiring the U.S. Government to take urgent and significant action to protect monarchs from further decline. Monarchs need royal, comprehensive protection now and your signature will count. If passed, it will require federal funds to protect the milkweed habitats so monarchs can once again breed and migrate and flourish.
Read about and support Save Our Monarchs Foundation.
There is a tragic and accelerated decline of many widespread and once common species going on all around us. Is it possible that our children will never witness the delicate flight of the monarch? Let’s turn our attention to the plight of this stately and noble butterfly as a majestic step to restoring balance in our world.
Melody-just read your article but also one below on CARE2 LINK a couple days ago that says many well-intentioned people are now planting milkweed but causing worse problems because of wrong species — see this link
http://www.care2.com/causes/why-planting-milkweed-is-actually-hurting-monarch-butterflies.html If people do want milkweeds on their property and want to help increase their #s , they can go to the country side ditches and dig up a couple wild spores–they multiply like crazy where ground is loose for pollen to grow next year. You might say that just decreases # of milk weeds but… they do not multiply much in ditches at all where no chance for pollen to take hold, whereas in loose soil like gardens, flower beds etc, they will indeed multiply–too much so even.
Dennis
Hi Denis,
Thanks for the comment and the information. It makes sense that there is a regional milkweed that would be best “planted” for the sake of the monarchs. I will look into this more and look forward to hearing from others on the subject. Melody
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