All butterflies are in horrible danger (as are bees) but this great travesty is best seen in the decline of the Great Monarch Migration as seen below: nytimes/2013/11/24/sunday-review/the-year-the-monarch-didnt-appear.html?_r=0 Here are a few quick and simple (and cheap) ways that you can help, (a great project for kids to learn and have fun too!): To Help Monarchs (and bees and hummingbirds and....): #1 Leave an area alone for milkweeds, (plant them and tend them as you would your flowers, or just let them be) and do not spray with anything chemical!! Monarchs ONLY lay their eggs on milkweed plants. If there is no milkweed, there are no caterpillars. The gorgeous striped caterpillars are largely left alone because the milkweed plant makes them bad tasting or poisonous to most creatures who would eat them, with the exception of hornets. #2 Keep Hornets and Wasps at bay by checking out the links below: gardenguides/93992-plants-act-wasp-repellent.html ehow/info_8007921_natural-hornet-repellent.html Hornets are the Monarchs worst natural enemy. Not bees- BEES ARE GOOD, leave a patch or two of clover when you mow. #3 Plant flowering plants and trees, especially fruit trees/bushes (if u are broke like me all you do is buy fruit, eat it, dry and plant the seeds (buy local organic!). This takes a year or two to produce but at least the plants will be. Or, borrow cuttings and transplants from your friends, family and neighbors. ***You can also go to the Arbor Day Foundation at: https://arborday.org and get 10 trees for just your area free when you join (awesome cause, awesome reward)!!! Monarchs and other butterflies love Purple Sedum, which is actually an annual, and it multiplies and is transferred easily. Chances are you know someone who has some you can abscond! See below for description and pictures: brecks/product/Lavender-White-Sedum-Mixture/Sedum_Perennial_Plants?p=0729246&utm_medium=shopping_engine&utm_medium=google&CAWELAID=1246254500&gclid=CKSAkozai70CFQ5gMgodjRsAiA #4 #4 Kids can do this! In a shady but open spot, EVERY morning in the same spot put a bowl of liquid food (Nectar); (and again in the mid-late afternoon if you are able). Draw a chalk line around your bowls to keep ants from getting into it every day!!! Ants wont cross chalk, like slugs wont cross salt. Liquid food (Nectar) works for the tiny hummers, the butterflies, and the bees. You dont need to rush out and buy the feeders and the food. (if u can great!) But, all you need is water, sugar, food coloring, a glass bowl, and some thing white- I use a coffee filter. I told you this would be cheap and easy! And btw: this is a great science experiment for kids!!! Put 4 cups of water and 1cup of sugar in a small pot, warm over medium heat stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat as soon as water appears clear. Do not boil! Add one drop of red food coloring, (or experiment and make one each lavender or yellow or orange or whatever color...and discover what colors attract what species in your area!). May use immediately after completely cooled. Do not refrigerate. You can make a gallon and put it in an old milk jug and it will feed thousands of hummers and butterflies and keep forever...Just shake hard before using. #5 If you do see eggs, hatch them inside if you can. Take the entire plant with stem in. monarchwatch.org/rear/ You must keep the milkweed fresh in their tanks, ( pick young healthy vines and wrap base with a wet paper towel and give the babies plenty to eat and a high place to go to incubate, but to see the mint green cocoon with tiny gold specks actually break open into a regal Monarch is amazing. I never get tired of it! Monarchs hatched and released in captivity have (I think off the top of my head) an 88% better chance to survive to mate and lay eggs themselves. Please release them after a few minutes of breaking their cocoon so when their wings dry they can soar! #6 Enjoy the flowers and butterflies (and bees) this year!!!! Let s help them all make a strong come back. Plant happy, plant healthy, plant with a plan.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 02:25:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015