AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL….THE ALMOST UNKNOWN Western Monarch Butterfly Habitats… a National Environmental Treasure & THE NEW “MONARCH HEROES”

 

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO EDUCATORS, SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA, ACROSS THE USA & AROUND THE WORLD, GARDENING CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND SENIOR CITIZENS WHO  CARE, PRESERVE, PROTECT, RESEARCH & STUDY AND Visit Monarch butterfly habitats to EXPERIENCE THE SPECTACULAR BEAUTY  OF Thousands OF AMERICAN WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLIES

 

A Mass migration of Dazzling Monarch’s cover a eucalyptus tree……………………………..

 

Pismo State Park, Pismo Beach California

                                

 

 

  MONARCH HEROES ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

                                                               

 

 

                                            

 

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Copyright Boone Productions, Siamak Sehat,photograher

 

 

 PEGGY METZGAR’S 2ND GRADE classes study the science of the Monarch butterflies life-cycle, raise                                                    

Native Monarch butterflies, plant milkweed, Butterfly Gardens and Celebrate CALIFORNIA WESTERN MONARCH DAY FEB 5th

 

 

                                                                 

                                       Peggy Metzgar, Sheila Boone & 2nd grade Monarch Heroes

 

 

 

The Monarch Butterflies Endangered Migrations

 

 

The “endangered migratory phenomenon “of the Monarch butterflies is an annual mass migration of millions and thousands of Monarch butterflies . Each year they fly up and down the east and west coast of the US. These migrations depend on an abundance of milkweed plants, a host plant needed for the Monarch butterflies survival, and “pollination & nectar corridors “to fuel up on nectar for their journey.

 

Each spring, the Monarch butterfly migrates north as the weather warms and the Milkweed plants come into bloom as needed for the Monarch butterflies re-production. The female lays one egg on the underside of each milkweed plant leaf. Monarch’s require 4-5 generations; born after each other to reach their summer destinations.

 

In the fall, a longer living Monarch butterfly will make the entire return journey south to over-winter in habitats in Mexico and on the West Coast of the US. Both the Eastern and Western Monarch butterfly habitats are being destroyed or are in decline or threatened.  Pollination and nectar corridors are also being destroyed and lost.

 

Monarch butterflies and other pollinators depend on nectar/pollination corridors for their survival. The destruction of these corridors is critical to the survival of important pollinators like the  Monarch butterfly which “stops over “along the corridor to “ fill up on nectar “ as it travels an estimated 5,000 miles each way  up & down the East Coast to Mexico and over 2,000 miles each way up and down the West Coast to Canada. For several decades scientists have believed there is a pollinator crisis.

 

Recently, the eastern Monarch butterfly suffered a severe freeze in Mexico and a die-off of an estimated 270,000 million. The little known migratory Western Monarch butterflies numbers are now estimated to be under one million. Their annual migrations can not be re-created and the Western Monarch migration was declared an “endangered phenomenon “in 1983.

 

Ms. Sheila Boone, a fifth great granddaughter & direct descendent of Daniel Boone and is the recipient of the 2005 National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution National Conservation Medal & Environmental Award as a Monarch butterfly activist and for educational out-reach through the “Free As A Butterfly “ Monarch Butterfly Awareness & Enviro Pak Program ( a donated program ). In Nov 03 she submitted a Bill for California Western Monarch Day which was introduced by former CA Senator and current CA Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. The Bill passed unanimously April 04 and is officially Feb 5th of each year. She dedicated the language of the Bill to educators and thousands of students in California and across the US who are taking active intervention to insure the continuation of the Monarch butterflies annual migrations by planting milkweed plants, pollination & butterfly gardens, habitat restoration and who celebrate both the eastern and western Monarch butterflies annual return migrations.

 

Help bring awareness … “ Send a Sticker and CD”

…..for a donation of $ 20.00 ( 5’’ Free As A Butterfly sticker & Cd  )

 

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Page Created By

Chris Fredrickson

Last Updated 02/02/06