Save the Butterflies
Every piece of Butterfly-inspired Art helps raise Monarch Butterflies, Queen Butterflies, and Gulf Fritillary Butterflies at Lizzie's Monarch Weighstation in Central Florida. Profits from the Butterfly Collection provides food & supplies for Native Butterfly Species.
The Monarch Butterfly population is especially at risk. The Monarchs are now listed as Endangered Species. Predators, disease, pesticides, herbicides, lack of food, parasites, and climate change are all contributing factors . It is Lizzie's goal to help sustain the population by providing quality food and habitats for these creatures to flourish.
If you want to see the lives you are supporting, follow her social media pages dedicated to the butterflies!
Facebook.com/iraisebutterflies
Instagram.com/iraisebutterflies
TikTok.com/iraisebutterflies
Want to help the monarchs?
Let’s talk about the causes of the decline in population first!
1. Habitat Loss
Deforestation: Monarchs from the eastern population migrate thousands of miles from the United States and Canada to overwintering sites in Mexico while the western population migrates to California. Illegal logging in these overwintering areas has had a devastating impact. The removal of trees not only disrupts the microclimate needed for the butterflies’ survival during winter and eliminates the roosting sites, making them more susceptible to extreme weather and predation.
Milkweed Decline: Milkweed is crucial for monarch reproduction. The widespread use of herbicides, particularly glyphosate in agriculture has destroyed milkweed plants. Additionally, urban development and changes in land use have resulted in habitat loss along the monarch’s migration routes. Without sufficient milkweed, female monarchs can’t find suitable places to lay their eggs, hindering the species’ reproductive success.
2. Pesticide Exposure
Herbicides: Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that kills most plants, including milkweed. Adopting glyphosate-resistant crops has increased herbicide use in agricultural fields, reducing milkweed abundance. Consequently, monarch caterpillars face a scarcity of their primary food source.
Neonicotinoids: These systemic insecticides are widely used in agriculture and horticulture. Neonicotinoids can persist in plant tissues, and when monarch caterpillars feed on these plants, they ingest the pesticides. This exposure can kill them or harm their growth, development, and overall health, contributing to population declines.
3. Climate Change
Temperature Extremes: Monarchs are highly sensitive to temperature changes. Warmer temperatures can disrupt their migration patterns, causing them to arrive at their breeding grounds too early or late in the season. This mismatch with the availability of milkweed and nectar sources can reduce survival rates for both larvae and adults.
Drought: Climate change-induced drought affects the availability of moisture required for milkweed growth. Reduced rainfall can lead to declining milkweed populations, compounding monarchs’ challenges during their life cycle.
4. Disease, Viruses & Parasites
Monarchs are susceptible to various pathogens, including the Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) parasite. OE can be especially harmful to monarch caterpillars and adults, impacting their overall fitness and contributing to population decline. This is particularly a huge problem here in Florida since most of Southern Florida’s population does not migrate to Mexico like the rest of the country. They can only contract this in the caterpillar stage by eating it. Infected adult butterflies can drop spores on milkweed then the cats consume it.
Tachinid Flies lay their eggs on monarch eggs and caterpillars. Once the egg is laid, that monarch is as good as dead. Over the next couple of weeks, the tachinid egg will hatch. And the maggot will eat the caterpillar from the inside. Chalcid wasps usually lay their eggs when the caterpillar is forming or freshly former its chrysalis laying hundreds of eggs right before a perfect protective sac is formed for them. While Trichogramma Wasps typically attack the eggs before the caterpillar even hatches.
Black Death is what I call it, but the real name is Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus. Caterpillars will deflate, turn black, then liquify like something out of a horror movie! This virus can also affect chrysalides as the entire monarch chrysalis turns black ultimately killing them. I’m not aware of any other viruses that attack monarchs, but I’m also not a scientist and just relaying information I know.
5. Predators
Ants, Mantids, Wasps, Spiders, Frogs, and Birds will all feed on Monarch Butterflies even though they are toxic from the milkweed compounds they ingest. Mantids have been the most evolved predator removing the guts before consuming cutting out the most toxic part of their meals.
Now that you know the troubles they face, we can’t cure it all but we can cut out a few factors to help them out!
1. Planting their host plant, Milkweed and nectar plants to feed adults that are PESTICIDE AND HERBICIDE FREEEEEE and native to your state is the easiest way to help. Trimming back plants every 3 months with help with the spread of OE.
2. Providing well ventilated mesh enclosures helps prevent predator’s ability to get to them, but keep in mind that it is a lot of work to keep up with them. Caterpillar’s poop will kill them as well and it’s easier to spread disease, bacteria and viruses if not cleaned properly and often.
If you’re willing to go the extra mile, a diluted bleach and dawn dish soap solution is gonna be your best friend! One part bleach, a little squeeze of soap and 12 parts water is the most cost effective on hand solution to have. To eliminate as many risks as possible, disinfect eggs as collected, disinfect food before feeding and disinfect enclosures regularly if not daily. MAKE SURE TO RINSE THOROUGHLY BEFORE FEEDING, PLACING EGGS IN ENCLOSURES OR PLACING CATS BACK IN ENCLOSURES! Bleach can kill them too if it's not rinsed properly after disinfecting!! DO NOT RAISE BUTTERFLIES IN ENCLOSURES IF YOURE NOT WILLING TO DO THIS!! OE is already a massive issue here in Florida, let’s not make it worse. You’re better off leaving them alone in the garden if you’re not gonna disinfect. Poop needs to be cleaned from enclosures daily! If you're ready to take on the responsibility to help our pollinators, watch these informative videos on how to get started!
Learn to grow Milkweed
Learn to Raise Monarchs
Learn more about OE here
https://youtu.be/kkZTfeFVMiE
