Save the Magnificent Monarch

New image, “Save the Monarch” added to the gallery “Stunning Sights” for sale in the store of creationsbyjanet.com.

In the end, we conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught. - Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet

When I first became aware of the Monarch Butterfly’s migration, it astounded me. As I learned more and more facts, I was amazed, and yet, sadly I came to understand that the very existence of this mighty creature is close to becoming endangered. Here is some information to spread the word about how phenomenal Monarchs are: some fascinating facts, a little overview as to what the status is to their survival, and most importantly, the simple, easy things we can do to save the Monarch from extinction.

Fascinating Facts

1. Monarchs have been spotted at 12,000 feet, over 2 miles above sea level.
2. These little creatures fly up to 6,000 miles, round trip, from their summer homes to their winter homes, where they “overwinter” (spend the winter).
3. Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects capable of making trans-Atlantic crossings, and are the only insect that migrate yearly.
4. With 6 generations needed to complete the migration, most butterflies live only a few weeks, but the last generation of the migration Monarchs, born in late August, is the migrating generation. This generation lives from 8-9 months, long enough to fly south for the winter and back again to reproduce the following summer.
5. Monarch Butterflies once fluttered throughout the United States by the billions. In the 90’s there were 1 billion. There are now about 30-35 million.
6. The Monarch is one quarter the weight of a dime.
7. The caterpillar of the Monarch eats only milkweed leaves. This leaves a chemical which is poisonous to its predators.
8. There are different migrations happening worldwide, however, in America, the Eastern North American population migrates from the U.S. and southern Canada to Mexico. The Western North American population migrates to California or Mexico, west of the Rockies. (Other overwintering populations are located in Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the Oceanic Islands.)
9. Each of its 4 wings has about 1.4 million scales.
10. Monarchs can fly in still air at the speed of around 30 miles per hour, and faster with a tailwind. They have been known to fly more than 375 miles over water, non-stop in 16 hours.
11. The Monarch has a built-in clock, almanac, navigational computer, and somehow knows which tree to fly to, even though it has never been there before. The Monarch Butterfly begins the trip each year, and her great-grandchildren make the trip the following year.

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. - Albert Einstein

Overview

The level of technology in the circuits that guided men to the moon is phenomenal. However, the navigation equipment packed into the brain of the Monarch Butterfly shows, through the incredible feats of migration performed by that creature, that there is a far greater level of technology involved. And it is all packed into a brain no bigger than a pinhead!!

It travels thousands of miles navigating unerringly, to reach a place it has never seen before. For instance, some Monarchs fly from Nova Scotia, Canada, to the mountains west of Mexico City, some 3,000 miles in all. Not just to the very same place to which their forefathers migrated, but each one often to the very same tree!

Why is the Monarch Threatened?

1. Resting sites are damaged by people.
2. Pesticides.
3. Urban sprawl.
4. Ground level pollution.
5. With biofuels produced with corn, an estimated 65% of the their milkweed, which they must have to live, has been lost in the Midwest alone. (A potential Texas-sized loss in habitat.)
6. The California drought.

When I hear of the destruction of a species, I feel just as if all the works of some great writer have perished. - U.S President Theodore Roosevelt

How to Help Save the Monarch

​Spread Awareness

1. Share the facebook post of SAVE THE MAGNIFICENT MONARCH with as many friends as you can and/or like the facebook page creationsbyjanet.com.
   
2. Donate prints or calendars with the “Save the Monarch” image, to your child’s classroom, local library, church, synagogue, Chamber of Commerce, or anywhere that will display it.
   
3. Go to the website: http://www.creationsbyjanet.com to purchase the prints and calendars, notecards, postcards, key chains or other custom products with the “Save the Monarch” image to get the word out about their potentially impending demise.
   
4. DONATIONS of 10% from the net profit of all Monarch Butterfly product sales will be made to organizations working to save the Monarch Butterfly.
   

​Spread Seeds

1.  Plant milkweed seeds in open spaces, roadsides, parks, forests, libraries, backyards, front yards, planter boxes and gardens. (Add in butterfly flowers to create a butterfly garden in your yard or in planter boxes, with plants indigenous to your area, when at all possible. The butterflies feed on this nectar.)​
2. The National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy provide free milkweed seeds to plant.

See for Yourself

You may visit one of the numerous overwintering sites. The butterflies overwinter in northern California locations such as: Ardenwood Historical Farm in Fremont, Natural Bridges State Beach and Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz, Butterfly Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, Fort Baker in Sausalito and Point Lobos State Park in Carmel Bay. Several other locations in southern California are:  Recreational Park in Long Beach, Ocean Avenue Park in Ventura,  Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, Huntington Central Park in Huntington Beach and UCSD Coast Site, at Azul Street.  There are many more locations, or if you live near one of the other overwintering locations in other states, you may visit there as well. They are available to observe in the fall and winter months, starting in October. You may find all of the locations online. Some tours are available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION IN CALIFORNIA GO TO:
The Monarch Program: www.monarchprogram.org
The Xeres Society: www.xerces.org
Monarch Watch: www.monarchwatch.org

FOR NATIONWIDE INFORMATION GO TO:
The United State Department of Agriculture: www.fs.fed.us
The University of Minnesota, Monarch Lab: monarchlab.org
The National Wildlife Federation: blog.nwf.org
Save Our Monarchs: www.saveourmonarchs.org
​The Nature Conservancy: www.nature.org

Hey farmer farmer put away that DDT now
Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees
Please
Don’t it always seem to go you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone
​They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
- Joni Mitchell, excerpt from Big Yellow Taxi

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed as I hear of the glorious creatures that face extinction on our planet earth, however, we need to take off the cloak of apathy and if each person does a little bit, great changes are possible and there is still hope.

​Thanks for your help!

Janet