Monarch Population 2024
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- This video gives the update to the Monarch population in 2024. The data is collected by the World Wildlife Fund and the data is placed on Monarchwatch.org. The data is collected in Mexico at the overwintering locations west of Mexico City. In this area millions of monarchs congregate and overwinter after their long migration from Canada and the United States. The video also identifies 3 key reasons for the decline in the monarch population. This includes, deforestation in Mexico, Loss of Habitat in Canada/ U. S. and Climate Change. The video also gives recommendation on what each of us can do to help out the Monarch. The recommendation is all about planting Milkweed.
Six species of Milkweed that thrive in the north:
• 6 Species of Milkweed ...
Planting Whorled Milkweed in your garden:
• Planting Whorled Milkw...
Butterfly Weed Harvesting and Planting Seeds:
• Butterfly Weed, Harves...
I read about a fellow who planted a 1/4 acre of milkweed and had several hundred that he raised. The next year he grew 2 acres of milkweed. And they remembered and brought their friends. He had thousands. Tens of thousands. So much so that researchers could see the impact of his 2 acres on butterfly migrations in that one year alone. It has certainly given me an idea.
Thanks for sharing. I hadn't heard this story, yet I do believe that planting milkweed is the key to the monarchs survival. Every little bit helps!
@@davethebutterflyguy9841 Yes, absolutely. It also goes to show it doesn't take that much to make a big difference if just two acres seeded with milkweed is showing up in migration patterns. I bet there are a lot of farmers and land owners with fallow fields that would be happy to seed them with milkweed if they knew how beneficial it would be. 2 acres is nothing for a lot of these folks in the country. Or even parks departments and municipalities or corporate parks and college campuses. Everyone needs to chip in to save our pollinators.
That's really neat! It would be a full time job to take care of that many but well worth the outcome.
@@markaxelson5940 I have a few in my backyard, they don't require any work. The onlything to do, is to get rid of new plants that start coming up where you don't want them, they are invasive, with their rhizomes growing under the soil.
Excellent video Dave, thanks. I have a question for you. We have a small patch of milkweed in our backyard. This and last year, the plants have turned horrible, they were full of various bugs and finally the leaves turned black and are mostly dead. We can't spray the plants or we'll kill eggs and caterpillars. What to do!? We wondered if it has anything to do with the extreme humidity we've had in southern Michigan.
It was a tough summer for my milkweed also. We had so much rain throughout the summer which isn't great for milkweed. I also had the little yellow aphids that seem to harm the milkweed. I don't spray them, I try to remove by wiping them off with a wet cloth or my fingers. There are youtube videos on getting rid of aphids that I encourage you to watch. Hopefully a better summer next year.
@@davethebutterflyguy9841 Thanks for your quick feedback. I had aphids, ants and wasps! Now I have little red bugs that seems to be milkweed bugs, they are in clusters and some went into the seed pods. I hope next year will be better. We had only a handful Monarchs and a few eggs, that I raised indoors.
Growing milkweed in a corner of my yard!!! Please plant some!
I have been raising butterflies since I was a kid and so many changes have been happening since that time. I live in New Jersey and because of climate changes we have butterflies that should only be found in the southern states like Pipevine Swallowtails, Giant Swallowtails, and Zebra Swallowtails. I never seen them in my area but people claim they are here. Monarch Butterfly is my favorite butterfly and I try to find the eggs in the wild each year so I can raise them. Thanks for all your doing for the Monarch Butterfly. Keep up the great work.
I agree we are are also getting butterflies like the Giant Swallowtail that 30 years ago wouldn't be found in MN. I appreciate your commitment to the Monarch. I wish you much success this season. I am worried that the low numbers in Mexico this past winter will lead to minimal numbers of Monarchs in MN. I am hoping for a fruitful summer, time will tell.
Yes some species are expanding their ranges with their host plants.
As a kid milkweed filled every ditch along all the country roads. Monarchs were everywhere. Now the ditches are all mowed back all season long and I am lucky if I see one a year. I am currently dedicating a 1/4 acre at the back of my property as a Monarch waystation with regional milkweed varieties and local wildflower mix.
Well done!
Interesting as I just relayed a story I heard about a guy who grew a 1/4 acre of milkweed and raised several hundred and had a few thousand monarchs and then the next year he did 2 acres and they remembered and came back and brought friends and he got tens of thousands and his property was showing up on migration maps. Just 2 acres in one year.
Hi! I am creating spaces in my garden to encourage butterflies, especially monarchs, to hang out in West Florida. So far, I've had a handful of monarchs stop by for the milkweeds, and 2 monarch cocoon. I'm hoping to do more each year. Thank you for the video!!
Well done! I look forward to hear about your success helping the monarch out in the coming years!
Good luck raising Monarchs in Florida. Recently I read about Monarchs being infected with some decease in Florida that kills them, so sad. Florida butterflies do not migrate to Mexico, but live there year around.
Thank you so much for this awesome video. I live in North Carolina and was visiting the Outer Banks last year and realized the house we were staying at head many milkweed plants. There were monarch butterflies on it heading south. This got me to doing some research and this summer I planted two milkweed plants in my backyard and we’ll plant some more next spring. I have been sharing my story with many people and hoping that others will plant milk weed as well. I too had to deal with many many tussock Moths on my new plant. I read that these are also very good for our ecosystem so I chose to leave them alone, but nature did its thing and the next day they were all gone. I’m assuming a bird or something had them for breakfast. However, a day or two later, many more malls had taken over my milk weed and since the plant is very young, I chose to remove most of them by hand and relocate them to another part of our yard. Unfortunately, I did have to squish some. I hope everyone that has the space to do so we’ll plant some milk weed. They can be started from seed, so it is not much of a cost.🦋🦋🦋
Thanks for sharing and I think it is fantastic the work you are doing!
I have been raising Monarchs for about 6 years either my grandchildren.
I had lots of common milkweed in my garden, n I’d go out n look for eggs n bring them into my home. It was so rewarding.
However, since last year, some of my milkweed plants didn’t come back n I have not found 1 egg yet.😢
I only counted 4 monarchs flying around my garden this year, so I knew numbers had to be declining at a serious n sad rate!
I miss raising them, especially now that I’m retired n have more time to dedicate to them.
This is seriously disappointing. I can’t imagine a world without Monarchs in it😞😞
Hopefully they will bounce back! Milkweed is so critical, so hopefully yours will grow back next year bigger and stronger. I also have had a slow summer for Monarchs. Although right now I have 5-10 monarchs a day on my Zinnias! Getting ready for the migration! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Dave, Thank you for making this excellent video! I've been establishing natives (flowers & grasses) on our little farm for years with special attention to milkweeds. Sadly deer love them here! We now have electric fencing around part of the fields that also include milkweeds. Food for thought, you might want to include a little more on "Plant Milkweeds", such as: 1) Planting enough that when a caterpillar is almost mature but needs more food it can travel easily to another milkweed. Otherwise, they are prey for many other life forms while finding more milkweed -- lots of folks don't realize this 2) Planting only milkweeds native to one's area 3) If buying plants from a nursery/greenhouse, it's wise to ask if they or their source use neonicotinoids in the seeds/plants (neonics for short). Some places still do. Neonics kill beneficial insects. I avoid any seller who can't answer that question. Also one can purchase milkweed seed from a reputable native plant company, and start them at home 4) Very importantly, please tell people not to use pesticides or chemicals in the same yard/area their milkweeds grow, since airflow carries these chemical sprays to other plants even when one can't see the tiny droplets spread. P.S. I admit once in awhile I carry a soapy jar of water when walking by milkweeds. If I see a Tussock Moth caterpillar, in they go. We never rub leaves or stems since we don't want to squish Monarch eggs by mistake - they are tiny! Happy Milkweed growing!
Thanks for your insights. I do have lots and lots of common milkweed across my back acre. I am going to harvest the seeds this fall and try to get more near my main flower garden area. I didn't know about neonics, I look forward to researching this in more depth. Thanks for watching.
I think the biggest killer of monarchs and other related lepidoptera, are that they need to drink from muddy puddles , essentially mud flats
The majority of these can be found in agricultural areas where they are irrigating large fields, but this is often mixed with neonicotinoidic pesticides. People often give instructions for home puddlers , but i haven't seen many butterflies using them my guess is they need to be larger or smellier. Let me know your thoughts
Thanks for your comments. I agree the runoff from agricultural fields include all kinds of toxins for butterflies especially if they are puddling in these toxic soils. I agree that home puddling stations are better if they are bigger and manure is a key ingredient for successful puddling stations. I appreciate your interest in helping monarchs out!
@@davethebutterflyguy9841 Ok I was unaware of manure , I will try it out , thanks 👍👍
We are in Illinois now and getting ready for periodical cicada bonanza , not a migration but is an amazing event , and quick update we had a swallowtail on one of our lilac's flowers hoping for a good season
I live in Fargo, ND and work outdoors everyday. This summer I have seen zero Monarchs and its almost September. I do my best to stop the killing of the Milkweed we come across, but the lack of sightings has me very concerned about the future. We are a pathetic species and it seems as if we are getting even less eco-friendly by the day.
It has been a sad summer for Monarchs. The numbers from Mexico last winter were scary. Thanks for doing your part to help out the Monarch!
What advice do you have for saving my newly hatched butterflies from our hurricane whether? I don’t want to let them go in the rain
I’m in Marco island Florida and how can I keep them alive for a few days till our hurricane paces
Yes, you could bring them into an enclosed habitat. They should last a couple days, however, if you can have some pollinating flower in the habitat it would help. Good Luck!
Does the milkweed tussock moth have anything to do with the decline? We have hundreds on our milkweed.
This moth has been around a long time and can raise havoc with milkweed. I have had them twice on my milkweed and I have made the decision to eradicate them from the milkweed. I think the Tussock moths are part of the natural world and aren't a significant issue. The bigger issue is the reduction of milkweed for monarchs and the Tussock moth. Good luck, deciding what to do with your moths.
I have only seen 3 monarch butterfly's this year Lima Ohio ,The Spraying of Cemtrails they travel in high altitude winds !
Yes, it has been a very sad year for the monarch. I hope their numbers can bounce up in 2025.
What about Tropical milkweed? Isn’t that a reason why they are declining as well?
Tropical milkweed is not native to the U.S.. There are studies that show it does create some issues with migration, parasites and how monarchs deal with OE. Tropical Milkweed will last as an annual in the north but can live year round in warmer climates like Texas and Florida. I would encourage gardeners not to include this in there mix of milkweeds. Stick to Common milkweed, Butterfly Weed and Swamp Milkweed. I am including this information about tropical milkweed created by the U of MN.
extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/tropical-milkweed-bad-monarchs
@@davethebutterflyguy9841 The thing about tropical milkweed is as an annual it is really easy to grow for those that can't grow perennial milkweeds because they are renting or whatever.
Very controversial subject. Human deforestation caused the rise in Monarchs to begin with. Plus there are now Monarchs in Europe and Australia. I plant milkweed because I like to see pollinators in the garden, Really not concerned about the population.
Nice work on planting pollinators in your garden! If you like seeing pollinators, it seems you are concerned about the population. It is likely you won't see as many monarchs this summer.
Eh there were massive stands in the prairies, meadows, glades, and wetlands across America. But almost all butterfly, pollinator, bird populations are waaaaay down.
Not before the conquest of America
I do not believe in “climate change” Sorry, but nobody ever said weather had to stay the same. It all evens out eventually. I do believe in helping wildlife any way I can and do planting pollinator plants, host plants, having trees etc… Being a responsible land owner by providing for wildlife is what I believe in.
I appreciate your passion for helping wildlife by planting host plants, plants and maintaining your trees! We need more people that have that same commitment! Weather and climate are different, weather changes all the time, climate measures longer term trends. What concerns me, is that (scientists) can tell the annual weather patterns based on the rings on trees that are older than 1,000 years. It shows what years had the best and worst growing conditions. The percentage of plants affected by drought has more than doubled in the last 40 years. 2023 was the warmest weather on record and 2024 is expected to be warmer. With warm, dry weather our pollinating plants struggle. So, no matter what is causing this warm weather, it is bad for our insects, butterflies and other living things. Thank you for being a responsible land owner! I hope the wildlife near you continues to thrive!
You can not disbelieve in climate change, the climate has been changing naturally for eons. You disbelieve human activities affect the climate which is insane. The issue is the rate of change , which is faster than the globe has ever seen and faster than evolution can keep up, banking on everything evening out sounds comforting, like a warm security blanket but requires a lot of trust in multinational corporations.
Belief is the opposite of knowing (knowledge).
The funny thing about science is it doesn't require you to believe it unlike religion. Sorry but it does not even all out eventually. With all due respect you don't have a clue what being a responsible land owner entails.