Monarchs Face Habitat Struggle

Monarch butterflies are struggling. Counts of the familiar orange-and-black insects, admired for their flights of up to 5,000 miles a year, are trending down so sharply that their migration is now under threat. That means fewer monarchs to pollinate crops, spread seeds and feed birds.

How can a person help? One way is to follow the lead of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa and consider collecting and sowing milkweed seed.

Don't delay. In much of the country, milkweed pods are ripe for picking in early fall.

Why milkweed? Milkweed is the host plant for monarchs--the lone plant on which the butterflies lay their eggs in spring and the only food source for monarch larvae. One reason monarchs are failing is that milkweed is disappearing from the national landscape.

Scientists blame land-use practices such as farming with crops genetically modified to resist herbicides. The herbicides kill plants such as milkweed that grow around farm fields and have no such protection. Urban sprawl and development have also chewed up monarch habitat.

While conservationists weigh broad-scale rescue options, individual efforts can make a difference.

"Every little bit helps," says wildlife biologist Karen Viste-Sparkman at Neal Smith Refuge. "It doesn't take a huge number of plants in any one place to help monarchs, especially during migration."

At Neal Smith Refuge, school groups and volunteers search fields for milkweed. They help refuge staff collect browning pods for processing and planting.

The Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service has photos of many varieties of milkweed in various stages of growth. See them at http://1.usa.gov/1maS5yq

How does one collect seed? Wear gloves and avoid touching your face. Milkweed sap can injure your eyes. Seek permission before harvesting seed on private, federal or state property.

"Collect only the gray seed pods, not the green ones," says Wedge Watkins, wildlife biologist at Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Missouri. "If you squeeze the pod and it pops open, it's ready to pick." When gathering pods in any one spot, leave a few behind on each plant. Don't collect seeds unless you plan to sow them.

To separate seeds from silk attached to the seeds, place a few coins in a clean, empty plastic container. Add the contents of the milkweed pod and close the container tightly. Now, shake the container until the seeds fall to the bottom and the fluff forms a ball on top. Unscrew the lid and remove the ball of silk fluff.

Either sow the seeds outdoors on bare soil before the first snow, or place them in a labeled, rodent-proof container that has air flow and store them in a cool, dry, ventilated area.

Outdoors on 09/25/2014

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