A Monarch Way Station

Introduction

    Every year a new generation of monarch butterflies begin its journey from birthplaces in the northeastern United States and Canada. But where are they heading? Every single monarch has a natural GPS which will lead many of them exactly to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico. Quite a long journey for such a small insect--nearly 2000 miles.  Some of the east coast monarchs make their way to Florida.  To help them travel such great distances, these butterflies have learned to fly very high and float on the air currents.  This may explain why they end up at several different wintering areas.

Scientists are still attempting to find out how monarchs pass along information about their birthplace to subsequent generations as the monarch that leaves Ohio in October is the great-great grandparent of the one that returns to the same field the following June.

What is a Way Station?

    The definition of a way station is a stopping point on a journey. These way stations serve as refueling stops for the monarchs. These stations may have a lack of predators, or a good source of food and shelter.

How can I Make my Home a Way Station?

    Monarch butterflies return to the place they were born to produce more offspring. This is an evolutionary process which allows the monarchs a better chance to reproduce. But they can only do this with a very special and poisonous plant. Milkweed.  Don't destroy the wild milkweed growing along the roadsides and in fields nearby.  Keep pesticides and fertilizers away from nectar-producing flowers and milkweed.  If you want to buy milkweed to plant in your yard, there are many websites to choose from.  My favorite is www.butterflybushes.com.  Rose Franklin, the owner, produces healthy plants that flourish in Ohio's weather.  You also need to plant nectar-producing flowers for the adult monarchs. Rose's site lists many of the best ones for butterflies and you can order from her or find them at your local nursery.  Food, shelter and water are basics for making your home a Monarch Way Station.

NOTE:  Rose also ships monarch eggs, caterpillars and even pupas.  Her site also provides butterfly cages if you want to raise monarchs.

    Milkweed is what monarchs need to lay their eggs. Because milkweed is poisonous, predators of the monarch typically cannot eat the plant. Also, due to how much milkweed a monarch eats throughout its life, the monarch is poisonous to most animals. Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on the underside of these plants, so that when their caterpillar is born, it will have the best chance of staying dry and out of sight of many predators.

This is a newly emerged caterpillar.  It is about the size of a comma on a page -- the black dot is its head.  The first thing it does is eat its eggshell.  Over the next two weeks, it will increase its size to 2000 times larger.  Before it forms its crystalis, it will be about 2 inches long.  To compare, it would be like a human child growing to the size of a school bus in two weeks!