The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly

by Kylee Baumle

Overview

Every fall, spectacular orange and black clouds of monarch butterflies fill the skies as they migrate from across North America to Central Mexico. West Coast populations make a similar though much shorter trip to coastal California. The National Wildlife Federation calls the monarch migration “one of the greatest natural phenomena in the insect world.” Not long ago, monarchs numbered in the billions, but in the last 20 years their population has dropped by 90%, due to habitat loss from pesticides, modern farming practices, urban development and other human activity. An estimated one million acres of habitat are lost each year.

But today, an army of citizen scientists, students and gardeners is engaged in restoring this beloved pollinator’s habitat – the wildflowers and milkweed and feeding corridors – so that one of nature’s most beautiful creatures will still be there for generations to come. And it starts in our own backyards.

The Monarch showcases this magnificent butterfly with eye-popping photos, fun facts about a monarch’s life cycle, and things to know about the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystem. Monarch enthusiast and nature blogger Kylee Baumle provides “action” projects for all ages, from planting milkweed and wildflowers to making butterfly watering stations…to volunteer activism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943366170
Publisher:	St. Lynn's Press
Publication date:	04/12/2017
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.60(d)

Read an Excerpt

Project: Make a butterfly watering station

Much attention is paid to providing nectar sources for adult butterflies, but we know that they also need water and are drawn to locations that supply it. Providing an accessible source of water close to their preferred nectar sources will be just one more way to attract monarchs to your garden, patio, porch or balcony.

You may have seen butterflies congregating at the edges of mud and water puddles to suck up water through their proboscises. They may be merely getting a drink, but some may also be doing so with another important purpose: In large groups, they are nearly always males, engaging in the act of “puddling.” They’re gathering salts and minerals from the water that will become incorporated into the spermatophore (the packet containing the sperm that they transfer to the female during mating). These nutrients will nourish the eggs, increasing the health and number of eggs that a female will lay.

If you don’t have a way to help the monarchs by growing nectar plants or milkweed, this simple watering station can be a welcome refreshment for them on a hot summer’s day. ...

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 A Story 15

Chapter 2 Danaus plexippus 17

Chapter 3 Monarch Mimics 31

Chapter 4 The Miraculous Migration 35

Chapter 5 Laying Out the Challenges 45

Chapter 6 We Can Lend a Hand 53

Chapter 7 What's So Special About Milkweed? 67

Chapter 8 Predators at Large 85

Chapter 9 Are Monarchs in Danger of Extinction? 93

Ways to Help the Monarch: Projects for Everyone 99

Citizen Science Programs 101

Create a Monarch Waystation 105

Make a Butterfly Watering Station 109

Raise a Monarch in Your Home 111

Learn How to Tag a Migrating Monarch 119

Make a Monarch Bracelet 122

Make a Monarch Butterfly Ring 124

Stir Up a Milkweed Cocktail 126

For Those Who Teach 127

Epilogue: The Rest of the Story 131

Appendix 135

Glossary 136

Native Milkweed Species, Their Range & Status 140

Where to Buy Milkweed Seeds & Plants 144

Nectar Plants for Pollinators 145

More Milkweed Insects You May Encounter 146

Where Can I Visit Monarchy at Their Overwintering Sites? 149

Where Can I Donate? 151

Books, Films & Helpful Websites 152

Bibliography 154

Index 155

Acknowledgments 157

About the Author 159

What People are Saying About This

Melinda Myers

“Kylee not only shares her knowledge and passion about monarchs, but inspires us to join forces to preserve this important pollinator. She offers practical advice on how each person can make a difference to save this and other pollinators critical to our food supply and natural beauty.” ~ Melinda Myers, horticulturist, garden book author, radio and tv host of Melinda’s Garden Moments

Jessica Walliser

“Thousands of insect species are suffering from habitat loss and pesticide exposure, but none is more precious to our collective psyche than the monarch. In The Monarch, Kylee Baumle guides us through the all-too-fragile lives of these breathtaking pollinators and their epic journey, and hands us the tools we need to make a difference for not just this imperiled insect, but those thousands of others.”
~ Jessica Walliser, horticulturist, radio host, author of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden and Good Bug Bad Bug

Laurie Davies Adams

"The miraculous monarch migration must continue as a legacy for generations to come. This homage to the monarch helps guide the way." ~ Laurie Davies Adams, Executive Director, Pollinator Partnership

Steve Bender

"Kylee Baumle is blessed with the magnificent obsession to be absolutely correct about everything she writes. Readers can rest assured that every fact within the pages of The Monarch has been subjected to the most rigorous research and analysis since Noah assigned seating on the ark."
~ Steve Bender, Southern Living magazine’s “The Grumpy Gardener”

Lincoln Brower

“ The Monarch is a riveting tale of biology and conservation. The intricacies of the butterfly's life history, migration and overwintering biology are engagingly narrated and beautifully illustrated. Kylee Baumle’s lovely new book will appeal widely to schools, conservation folks, general readers and to the gamut of people interested in submerging themselves in what she richly paints as a noble cause, saving our most-loved butterfly.” ~ Lincoln P. Brower, Research Professor of Biology, Sweet Briar College

Jenny Peterson

Kylee Baumle's passion for the monarch butterfly has inspired me to pay closer attention to making my own garden – and those of my clients – a haven for this gorgeous creature. Her valuable information, stunning photographs and stirring prose will inspire you to do the same. ~ Jenny Peterson,— landscape designer and author of The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion

From the Publisher

"The miraculous monarch migration must continue as a legacy for generations to come. This homage to the monarch helps guide the way." ~ Laurie Davies Adams, Executive Director, Pollinator Partnership

“Kylee Baumle is more passionate about monarchs (and saving them) than anyone I know. How fortunate we are that she’s now sharing her years of study and monarch-saving wisdom from the trenches with all of us. I can’t imagine a better person to write this book!” ~ Joe Lamp’l, Producer and Host of the PBS series Growing a Greener World®

“Kylee not only shares her knowledge and passion about monarchs, but inspires us to join forces to preserve this important pollinator. She offers practical advice on how each person can make a difference to save this and other pollinators critical to our food supply and natural beauty.” ~ Melinda Myers, horticulturist, garden book author, radio and TV host of Melinda’s Garden Moments

Kylee Baumle's passion for the monarch butterfly has inspired me to pay closer attention to making my own garden – and those of my clients – a haven for this gorgeous creature. Her valuable information, stunning photographs and stirring prose will inspire you to do the same. ~ Jenny Peterson, landscape designer and author of The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion

“Monarchs need our help now more than ever. All of us can do our part by planting milkweed and nectar plants. This book can show you how to help and protect the monarch butterfly population.” ~ Holli Hearn, monarch enthusiast and founder of “The Beautiful Monarch” Facebook group

Diana Blazek

“Kylee’s enthusiasm for monarchs flies off the pages of this fascinating book. Her explanations, photographs and illustrations will inspire both young and old to do all they can to provide a rich and nourishing habitat that will help monarchs thrive.”
~ Diane Blazek, Executive Director, National Garden Bureau

Joe Lamp'l

“Kylee Baumle is more passionate about monarchs (and saving them) than anyone I know. How fortunate we are that she’s now sharing her years of study and monarch-saving wisdom from the trenches with all of us. I can’t imagine a better person to write this book!” ~ Joe Lamp’l, Producer and host of the PBS series Growing a Greener World®

Interviews

I’ve been asked if it really matters if the monarch disappears, and whether or not we should care. The truth is that it does matter. There are reasons that we should care about this butterfly and they extend beyond the monarch itself. Perhaps the universe is using this beautiful creature to get our attention and draw us to more important matters. Maybe the monarch is merely the messenger in a world that is changing, and those changes aren’t always beneficial to the earth and those of us who inhabit it.

I remember as a child, seeing monarchs flying around my mother’s garden and my grandmother’s too – sometimes chasing them, though never catching them. To me they looked like animated jewelry among the static beauty of the colorful blooms. They seemed to be the perfect accessory to a well-dressed garden. Little did I know then that they had a greater purpose, as pollinators. And I was naively unaware of their astounding story of birth, growth and metamorphosis inside an emerald green chrysalis, hidden away among the plants.

It wasn’t until many years later – decades, actually – when I became what I call “a true gardener,” that I learned of the even more amazing story behind the monarch. Its autumn journey south to Mexico, to a location that was known only to locals until 1975, earns it the distinction of having one of the longest insect migrations in the world.

There is much to learn about the monarch. As a backyard gardener, like many of us, I’m learning more all the time. But even the most basic facts and knowledge about the monarch and its life cycle can be enough to draw you into its world and capture your heart. You’ll soon find yourself caring more than you ever thought possible about this summer resident of the U.S. and Canada that spends its winters in Mexico.

Editorial Reviews

Illustrated by beautiful photos, Baumle packed this work with carefully researched facts, online resources, projects and a road map of how to join the movement to save the monarch and other butterflies that are at risk in today’s world.

Nancy Szerlag

This is an attractive book, chock-full of information, that would be useful to anyone from a teenaged student to a veteran gardener. If you love monarch butterflies or want to learn more about them, check it out!

"The Monarch" includes just enough science to fascinate without getting too "sciency." This book should find its way to a shelf in every library and classroom. If you love learning about and looking at stunning photography of nature, you'll love this book.

From the Publisher