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| MONARCH BUTTERFLY |
The program was presented by Master Gardener, Carol Welch on “Migrating Monarchs”.
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| Carol Welch Master Gardner |
Carol started the program with this quote:
“God has the foolish things of this world to confound the wise”
Carol shared
the story of how a young Canadian boy was so entranced with the monarch butterflies
that he began a lifelong journey to find their nesting place. Then in 1975 their nesting location was indeed found
in Mexico. It was photographed and documented
for a 1976 edition of National Geographic Magazine.
The Monarch butterflies
leave their winter nesting location in Mexico in late February and March. They then begin their long migration north to
Canada. One of the interesting facts
that Carol shared was over this 2,000 mile journey, the butterfly needs to know
when to leave, how to travel and how to know when they have arrived at the
right place. On their journey Monarchs
have been known to hitch a ride on fishing boats to help them go south.
Carol talked about how important native
milkweed is to sustain the Monarch. A
female will lay over 1,000 eggs in her lifetime and only lays them on milkweed
plants.
There has
been a downward trend of Monarch population.
This is due to loss of habitat and various chemicals used on weeds and
other crops.
What can we
do to help the Monarch survive and thrive?
Make your
own garden a Monarch Waystation and have it certified. The specifics of this venture can be found at
the Monarch Watch website:
A Texas based program to help re-forest the nesting grounds in Mexico can be found at:
www.forestsformonarchs.org
Carol was featured in the July “Weatherford Now” magazine and is quoted as saying:
Becoming a Master Gardener is the best thing I ever did. It is so
rewarding and challenging and sharing what I have learned is important.
Master Gardner Program
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| Carol Welch Master Gardner |
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| Monarch Joint Venture page 2 |
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| Monarch Joint Venture page 1 |
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