by Heidi Linnemann
The Monarch butterflies we see in the Valley spend their winters in Mexico’s central mountain range and summers in our northern states. The Rio Grande Valley is an important stop during their journey.
But Monarchs are in serious trouble. Their winter resting area is being lost due to deforestation. In the United States as much as one million acres of habitat is lost every year due to clearing land for farming, the use of pesticide-infused seed, housing developments and infrastructure construction, and mowing roadsides and empty lots.
Native habitat is a key element in keeping Monarch populations hearty and healthy. Butterflies use host plants to lay their eggs. Monarch butterflies only use plants from the milkweed family as their host plant.
A caterpillar emerges from the egg, the caterpillars eat leaves, seed pods, and flowers of the plants prior to crawling to a safe place to form a chrysalis. Plants are not destroyed by caterpillars; new leaves will soon appear. Without milkweed plants, though, Monarchs cannot reproduce.
Milkweed/monarch restoration is underway with the help of federal agencies, corporations, universities, organizations like the Rio Grande Valley Chapter Texas Master Naturalist and individuals pitching in to plant Monarch-specific gardens, called way-stations.
It’s easy to develop a way-station for Monarchs. It can be as small as 10 square feet. If not in your home garden, you can build one at your local community center, city park, church, fraternal lodge, or school.
Several varieties of milkweed plants, including climbing milkweed, are available from local nurseries and native plant growers. Butterfly weed — a colorful native, upright, bushy milkweed– is drought and disease tolerant and freely self-propagates. Nectar plants, along with the butterfly’s host plant, provide essential food for the adult butterfly. Monarchs travel through our area in the spring and fall, so you will want nectar plants that flower at those times, including spring- or fall-blooming mistflower, lantana, and porterweed.
Most area nature parks have butterfly gardens and several sell native milkweeds and nectar plants for this renowned butterfly which also is the official insect of Texas.
For more information, visit www.Monarchwatch.org.