Monarch Butterfly
Hmmm, will Monarchs still make their inspiring cross-continent migration five years from now?
I have been watching and studying butterflies for about a decade. In the early years of that period, it was a safe bet that Monarchs would arrive in these parts sometime in June from their cross-continent migration.
In recent years, they have been arriving later and later and in progressively smaller numbers. My first sighting of one this summer was August 1. I had begun to wonder if I would see any Monarchs this year.
The sad reality is that the Monarch butterfly population is in serious decline – as much as 80% below historic averages as measured in their wintering grounds. There are several reasons for this decline including deforestation and other socio-economic pressures in the mountain region of Mexico where the entire North American population spends the winter.
In recent years, one of the major factors relates to their dependence on the Milkweed plant for survival. Monarchs feed and lay their eggs exclusively on Milkweed making it critical to their arduous migration north in the spring, which spans several Monarch generations, and south in the fall when the last brood of the year makes the entire trip.
Milkweed is considered a nuisance plant in agricultural areas. It is being eradicated in corn and soybean cropland by increased use of pesticides – particularly in the U.S. Corn Belt. This gap in the Monarch’s migration path is a serious problem for them.
Monarchs have become a metaphor for the hot, hazy and lazy days of summer in this part of North America. But they are also becoming a metaphor for the fragile intersection of humans and nature and what can happen when that intersection is not respected.
We can live in harmony with nature and enjoy the beauty and serenity it offers us. But only if we value that relationship enough to make the sometimes tough choices it demands. The choice is ours and the time is now. Tomorrow may be too late.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · migration · milkweed · Monarch butterfly · NatureNo Comments