Monarchs!
The Monarch butterflies are the most widely recognized in America. What is more incredible about this butterfly is the long migration journey they make every year. It's about 3000 miles long and they go from the North of the United States all the way to the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Mexico. Along the way, they stop in Wolf Prairie for food and to create the next generation.
How do monarchs get to little 'ole Texas
The monarch butterfly spends the winter in Mexico and the summers in the Northern US. During their journey to either home, the monarch butterfly must take pit-stops to rest their wings. Before winter comes, the Monarchs fly from the Northern US to Mexico's nice warm air. This process of migration also happens in the spring time when its too warm in Mexico for the Monarchs so they travel back north. This is where little ole Texas comes in. Texas is on the migratory route and offers important rest stops for the butterflies. Texas also has a plethora of milkweed and flora that attract monarchs making one of the best resting destinations for them.
Monarchs on Wolf Prairie
The Monarch Butterfly can be connected to the Wolf Prairie because it still grows Milkweed, which is very important for the Monarch to survive. As urbanization increases, more land is lost and there is less space for Milkweed to grow. This is causing a huge decline in the Monarch population by more than 90 percent in the last two decades. For this very reason they are being considered a near endangered species and if this pattern continues it may become endangered.
Westside is helping to track the Monarchs' migration through a tagging program at the University of Kansas. Monarch tagging is the task of capturing monarch butterflies, putting a unique sticker on the wings of the monarchs, and then releasing the monarchs so they can later be captured again in their winter habitat all the way in Mexico. Tagging monarchs is an important duty because scientists are able to gather information on things such as population size and migratory patterns.
Learn more about tagging monarchs here : http://monarchwatch.org/tagmig/tag.htm
Learn more about tagging monarchs here : http://monarchwatch.org/tagmig/tag.htm
Monarchs are important because
- Monarchs pollinate which allow you a variety of choices once you step into a grocery store
- Monarchs help economically by attracting butterfly watchers. Eco tours bring in valuable income.
- Monarchs boost biodiversity, which lead to an increase in ecosystem productivity.
-Monarchs have many aesthetic values such as having an iconic pattern, being symbolic and even being incorporated into works of literature.
- Monarchs help economically by attracting butterfly watchers. Eco tours bring in valuable income.
- Monarchs boost biodiversity, which lead to an increase in ecosystem productivity.
-Monarchs have many aesthetic values such as having an iconic pattern, being symbolic and even being incorporated into works of literature.
You can help the Monarch at your home!
Monarchs are manly attracted colorful flowers.The travel from Canada to Mexico, stopping in parts of America along the way. Monarchs need milkweed for their caterpillars but the adults will gather pollen from any flower. This milkweed to the left is an example of the many found in the Wolf Prairie at the entrance. This particular flower allows monarchs to lay their eggs and continue the cycle of life and allows the wolf prairie to grow with biodiversity.
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How to distinguish between male and female monarchsWhen it comes to determining whether a monarch is a male or female there is one sure fire way to distinguish the two. A male with have a black dot on the each wing( shown in the figure to the left), while a female monarch will not have any visible black dots on the wings( shown in the figure to the bottom left and right).
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The Process of Metamorphosis
One of the most common transformations from different stages of life is catepiller to a butterfly. First the egg stage, then the larve stage, then the pupa stage, then the adult stage. Based on the pictures shown below you can see the stages of metamorphosis. The picture to the left illustrates the begining of the metamorphosis, the cattepillar finds a safe place under the branch of a flower. He then begins the proces of creating a cocoon. Once the cocoon is made he then rests within it for two to four weeks. During those weeks in the cocoon he begins his metamorphosis process. After he is finished with metamorphosis, he then comes out of the no longer vibrant green cocoon and is now a monarch butterfly.
Monarchs and their ecosystem services
Although they are very small they play a huge role in pollinating Canada, Mexico, and the US, many of the wild flowers in the wolf prairie rely on these little creatures to pollinate their seeds. However with the increase in deforestation it is harder for these little monarchs to make it to the wolf prairie and other gardens. Many places will lose their aesthetic appearances plus the flowers that they were pollinating could be beneficial in medicinal and commercial purposes.
Information Sources
Photos used under Creative Commons from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, wwarby