For insect conservationists, September marks the start of the monarch butterflies' (Danaus plexippus plexippus) three-month annual migration that spans a total distance of around 3,000 miles, a journey from areas in the United States and Canada toward Mexico and other southern countries.
This year's journey is particularly important as the majestic butterflies have experienced one of the most devastating population declines in recent history, with monarch populations dropping to an estimated 56.6 million individual butterflies from the one billion insects that was recorded in 1997.
Local wildlife organizations in the United States have initiated various forms of conservation efforts to prevent the further decrease in the number of monarch butterflies in the country. One such group is the Brukner Nature Center in Troy, Ohio.
Officials from the nature center launched the First Annual Monarch Butterfly Celebration in order to help raise people's awareness on the life cycle of the monarch butterflies as well as the different threats that the insects face every day.
Event organizer Ruth Bowell said that the celebration of the monarch butterfly festival lets people know what the monarch butterflies are facing. She called the majestic butterflies as the canaries in the prairie.
Bowell added that while the monarchs' population decline has been recognized, other species of butterflies have also experienced a significant drop in their numbers.
Monarch butterflies may not be the most effective pollinators among their kind, but Bowell said these insects are the ones that most people recognize.
By becoming aware of the monarch's decline, the nature center believes that this could lead people to investigate and realize that many other pollinators are facing population decline as well.
The Monarch Butterfly Celebration is the first of its kind to raise the public's awareness regarding the predicament of the monarch butterflies. The celebration featured various events including games and crafts.
The organizers have also installed a butterfly tent where families can interact with different free-roaming butterflies. They also taught attendees a few steps on how to track butterflies through tagging.
Brukner executive director Deb Oexmann explained that various organizations have started events around the monarch butterflies this year because of the sharp decline in their populations in the past five years. She said that current estimates have the monarch's population decline at around 90 percent.
Oexmann said that this is why it is crucial to keep milkweed, a plant that the insects' caterpillar mostly feed on, always available for them during their annual migration.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the number of monarch butterflies taking the annual journey has plummeted in recent years because of the decline in milkweed farming, which the insects depend on for survival.
To help provide ample amount of milkweed for the monarchs, many concerned organizations are working together to collect milkweed seeds during fall and sowing them in different areas. This allows the butterflies to have sufficient places to lay their eggs.
Photo: Lori Branham | Flickr
