The Copper State Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) met on January 21 to learn how to help support the dwindling monarch butterfly population.
Chapter Regent Flora Conley, a PebbleCreek resident, became interested in the needs of the monarch after reading an article in the April 2016 PebbleCreek Post about residents Ross and Judy Hart. The Harts had planted milkweed in their landscape because milkweed is crucial to the monarch’s lifecycle. Then, they also convinced the PebbleCreek Golf Course Maintenance to help by planting milkweed on the Eagle’s Nest course. Regent Conley decided this would make an interesting DAR chapter conservation project, so she contacted Mr. Hart who arranged for Natalie Melkonoff, Plant and Insect Ecology Assistant at the Desert Botanical Garden, to present a program in the Life Long Learning (LLL) Center. The LLL Center is available to PebbleCreek organizations who wish to have educational programs and need space.
Ms. Melkonoff explained that while not yet on the endangered species list, the monarch population has been severely declining due to loss of habitat, pesticides, disease, climate change and predators. She explained that Copper State DAR members could help reverse this trend by joining the Great Milkweed Grow Out. She noted that milkweed plays two important roles in the lifecycle of the monarch. It is the only plant that monarchs will lay their eggs on and that their caterpillars can eat. In addition, as they feed on the plant and ingest a toxin produced by milkweed, this toxin later deters predators who try to eat the butterflies.
In addition to planting milkweed, Ms. Melkonoff suggested building a favorable habitat by considering the monarch’s other needs such as nectar, shelter and non-freezing temperatures. Therefore, we should have nearby flowering plants to provide nectar and medium to large-sized trees or other sturdy plants or structures to protect the caterpillars as they form into the chrysalis stage. Butterflies also like to bask in the sun and drink water.
The Desert Botanical Garden sells plants in the fall and spring, including several native varieties of milkweed. Although you may find the non-native, tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) at your local nursery or home improvement store, Ms. Melkonoff strongly recommends planting native milkweed varieties and multiple plants to ensure that the caterpillars have enough food. You can experiment with different native species to find those that work best in your location. Native milkweeds will often bloom all the way through the hot summer and into fall.
Ms. Melkonoff stated that more is being studied about the migratory paths of the monarch and that the Desert Botanical Garden is participating in tagging the butterflies with unique numbers so their routes can be traced. Once your butterfly garden is growing, you can register it as a Monarch Waystation at monarchwatch.org/waystations.
In addition to DAR members and PebbleCreek residents Mr. Steve Yamamori, Litchfield Park School Board President, attended; he had expressed interest in this conservation project for facilities for which he has responsibility.