Saving the monarch butterfly
 

I noticed last year that the monarch butterflies were missing. At the end of summer, I had seen no monarch larva on my milkweed while I found swallowtail butterfly larva all over my parsley. Then I read that the monarchs may become extinct do to the lack of milkweed and it rather scares me. So, if you have a yard and a little extra space where you don't spray pesticides or herbicides, please consider growing a little milkweed for the monarchs. It isn't the prettiest weed but I think the butterflies are worth saving. For those who have no idea what a monarch butterfly is, here is one that we raised and released one year.

Great idea !

And to help.......
Free Milkweed Seeds Live Monarch butterfly

Unfortunately I think I am going to have to buy butterfly eggs. I haven't seen a monarch in my garden for years and nor have I seen them in our local preserves. I have read that a lack of "food" is the biggest factor in the decline of populations, so every bit helps.

What significance does monarch butterfly have in the ecosystem?

Well they're pollinators for one...which is always a good thing to have. But moreover it's a sign of the health of an Eco system.


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Specifics.

I'm not against helping them out and all, but unless they play major role that others cannot, is there a real big loss??

There are lots of other bugs.

So one think I know is that monarch butterfly depends on milkweed for life. Let's say monarchs are gone. Does the overabundance of milkweed cause certain harm to certain other plants or animals?

Are they animals and bugs that eat mainly on monarchs??

These are what I had in mind.

Monarchs and Milkweed are co-dependent.
Other than not being able to put a $ price on beauty/aesthetics/taste ( or put another way why do people develop different types of vegetable varieties, when we can make do with only a couple types of tomato for example, instead of 7,500....and so on ), I found this

Monarch Flyway formerly Natural Fibers Corporation offers milkweed products including pillows, coforters, Duvets, seeds for monarch habitat, milkweed balm, and raw materials

I don't know how successful this business is but it seems that milkweed seed fluff is a down alternative ! They also use the sap...

I am sure the plants are also vital to the prairie ecosystem.

Monarchs have issues (and are certainly not the only ones) with Bt GMOs, amongst other things.

Toxic pollen from widely planted, genetically modified corn can kill monarch butterflies, Cornell study shows | Cornell Chronicle
(a simple googling will lead you to other sources, not only in the USA)

Another BIG issue beyond it's summer vacancies in the USA/Canada is its winter rest place in mexico which is in danger of deforestation. People should help protect effectively these forests, which are beautiful btw.

I'm doing my share for european butterflies and bees, do yours :) Biodiversity controls pests. (hint hint)

I'm not sure what significance they have in the ecosystem besides pollinating but with many of the other pollinators having an equally difficult time, someday, we may not be able to eat fruits, veggies and anything that is dependent upon pollination. Even milk is dependent upon pollination due to the diet of dairy cows. They are a very beautiful butterfly and do no harm to any food producing plants. However, in many cases, the role that a creature plays in an ecosystem isn't noticed until after the extinction of that creature, such in the case of the dodo birds and many others. Now, we are also discovering the cures for many diseases coming from the oddest places in nature. It is, therefore, important to protect our biodiversity.

Thanks for the input.

By the way, we're going off on a bit different topic, but GMO thing should really go!

I mean don't they think anything other than money?
As far as I know, corns are wind pollinated, and they do release lots of them too. I'm sure they knew GMO corn would have toxic material all throughout the plant body including pollens that fly around in the air.

Not only this affects bugs, but it is possible to pollinate other non GMO crops in the area. then they go after the owner of that land the following year after taking (stealing) samples which then they analyze to make sure their "invention" is stolen.

This is just sooooo wrong!!!!

Hmm... I wonder if I'm in their natural range.
I'm in a fairly urban area though that's extremely fond of pesticides.



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