A flower fit for a monarch

Waterloo Region Record

By Editorial

A weed is merely a plant that grows where it is unwanted.

In the eyes of many farmers, according to conventional wisdom and until recently Ontario law, the common milkweed is what its name says it is — a weed, an enemy fit only to be destroyed.

But in the tiny eyes of the monarch butterfly, the milkweed is life. Adults drink nectar from its fragrant flowers. Females lay their eggs on the undersides of its leaves. And as for the caterpillars that will become the next generation of monarchs, the milkweed leaves are its sole source of nourishment.

No milkweed, no butterfly. Sadly, this scenario has been playing itself out in southern Ontario where, as both rural and urban communities waged war on the milkweed, the sight of the monarch, with its blazing orange wings, fluttering through the air has grown increasingly uncommon. These are remarkable creatures who each year, and over the course of generations, journey to and from Mexico. But their value goes beyond their beauty and charm. They are important in pollinating many plants.

Aware of the monarchs' decline, and eager to help them increase in numbers, humans have belatedly seen the value of the milkweed. Ontario removed it from its list of noxious weeds earlier this year. People are deliberately growing the plant in their gardens. And more monarchs are visiting us. Like beauty, what constitutes a weed is in the eye of the beholder.

Comments

Fire ecology manipulation by California native cultures

Before the colonial era, 100,000s of people lived on the land now called California, and many of their cultures manipulated fire to control the availability of plants they used for food, fuel, tools, and ritual. Contemporary tribes continue to use fire to maintain desired habitat and natural resources. View the Original article

Monarch Butterflies – Their 1800 mile flight to freedom

Education Articles | June 11, 2006 The fall migration of Monarch butterflies is one of those fascinating natural mysteries to which human beings still do not have any answers. For centuries, the black and orange Monarchs have been great winter attractions in the Californian and Mexican regions. However, no one had any clue to this huge influx of Monarch butterflies in these regions. The fall migration of Monarch butterflies is one of those fascinating natural mysteries to which human beings still do not have any answers. For centuries, the black and orange Monarchs have been great winter attractions in the Californian and Mexican regions. However, no one had any clue to this huge influx of Monarch butterflies in these regions. In 1937, part of this mystery was unfolded through the attempts of a researcher named F. A. Urquhart; he began putting wing tags on the butterflies in order to track their origins and whereabouts. His endeavors bore results and it was brought to light that the ...

Butterflies' evolutionary responses to warmer temperatures may compromise their ability to adapt to future climate change

Members of the brown argus butterfly species that moved north in response to recent climate change have evolved a narrower diet dependent on wild Geranium plants, researchers report. However, butterflies that did not move north have more diverse diets, including plants such as Rockrose that are abundant in southern parts of the UK. View the Original article

Monarch Conservation

Search This Blog