Follow the Monarchs

Follow the migration of the monarch butterfly with the help of these maps provided by Journey North. Bear in mind that the subspecies of monarch, Danaus plexippus plexippus, is the migratory one, the one we are familiar with in the United States and Canada. There are 5 non-migratory subspecies in the neotropical region - portoricensis in Puerto Rico; leucogyne on the Virgin Islands; megalippe in Cuba, the Bahamas and the Caymans; tobagi on Tobago, and nigrippus in the Andes. We know next to nothing about these subspecies and their conservation status. Some may be more endangered than “our” monarch. We just don’t know. Some consider all the non-migratory monarchs as members of a single subspecies, megalippe. Still others think that there are 8 subspecies.

The southern monarch, Danaus erippus, of southern South America is closely related and similar looking. It was considered a subspecies of Danaus plexippus, but now it is regarded as a separate species. It is also migratory to some extent. Very little is known about its migration.

Learn more about the present status of the migratory monarch subspecies, Danaus plexippus plexippus:
Conservation Status and Ecology of the Monarch Butterfly in the United States

You can help pollinators in your own garden

Bumble bee on Helenium © Beatriz Moisset

Plant a pollinator garden. Turn some of your lawn into a wildflower meadow. One major objection of gardeners, the fear of stings, doesn’t need to be a serious concern. Most native bees are quite different in this respect from honeybees and hornets; they hardly ever sting and if they do, it is very mild. In fact there are some, such as the Andrenids, that are incapable of doing so. Their stingers are too small to penetrate human skin.

Avoid pesticides or if you absolutely need to use them, inform yourself carefully about the specific pesticides that kill only the target species, rather than decimating many others unintentionally. Furthermore, avoiding pesticides may not be as bad as it sounds since nature has its own checks and balances and manages to keep most pests under control without resorting to pesticides. There are some cases in which use of pesticides backfires by destroying these checks and balances. Avoid herbicides also; they can be bad for pollinators. They either deprive them of food or poison them.

Fritillary on butterfly milkweed © Beatriz Moisset

Plant native flowers, that is flowers that grow locally, not just native to the United States; these are best for pollinators. Some bees may be able to adapt to non-native plants, such as many fruit trees or some of the less fancy cultivars. But native pollinators and native plants have become mutually adapted through millions of years, so they make the perfect match in most cases.

Small bee on fruit tree blossom © Beatriz Moisset

Grow a variety of flowers that bloom through the seasons. This is good for native bees; fortunately this is also what most gardeners aspire to have in their gardens. However highly selected cultivars or those with doubled-flowers don’t take care of the needs of pollinators. In general they have lost all the cues that pollinators need, such as scent. In some cases, they have also lost the pollen or nectar and so they don’t provide any food to bees.

Sunflower and bee © Beatriz Moisset

Plant the kind of lawn that provides habitat beneficial to bees. A perfectly manicured, pesticide saturated lawn is a desert to wildlife, including pollinators. Reducing the size of the lawn would benefit native pollinators. But it is also possible to have a lawn that is good for bees while being esthetically pleasing. As mentioned before, stay away from pesticides and herbicides as much as possible. Second, allow some small wildflowers; the look of your lawn may change as a result but it will continue to serve its purpose. Clover is great food for native bees; it also fixes nitrogen cutting down the need for fertilizers. Other small plants that benefit bees are ground speedwells (Veronica), wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), smartweeds or knotweeds (Polygonum), wild strawberries (Fragaria, several species), etc. Rather than calling them weeds we should call them grass companions or pollinator food.

Nests of solitary bees © Beatriz Moisset

Provide housing for bees. A simple bare spot here and there (no mulch or grass, just bare soil) may be enough for a few hard-working soil nesters. A sand pile may be even better. It bears repeating: There is no real need to worry about stings from solitary bees.

Dead logs or snags can supply housing for bees. You probably can’t have a dead tree on your property, but it is possible to keep a stump or a standing log and use it as an attractive planter; perhaps it will in turn provide housing for some little bees. Drilling holes on an old post or even a tree trunk would also make good nesting sites. They should be 3/32” to 3/8” in diameter and at least 4” deep.

Or you can make your own bee houses. It is possible and relatively easy to build one by following instructions posted in several websites. Or you can buy one; some resources listed below. I have discovered that watching the comings and goings of those busy mother bees can be as much fun as observing a bird house. Once again, stings don’t seem to be a real problem; I have had my face right in front of their houses and have even let them climb on my finger without any consequences.

Hollow tubes, just about the size of drinking straws, can also be used as bee nests. Some of the suppliers listed sell them. You can also tie up a bunch of hollow twigs, such as elderberry, or paper drinking straws (plastic ones are no good) together or pack them into a container such as a small milk or cream carton and place them horizontally. They should be closed at one end with the open end facing south or southeast. If you have trouble figuring out where the south is, step outside sometime between 10 AM and 1 PM and face the sun. That is how you want to place the nests. (See links below for instructions).

You can let some of your ornamental grasses stay all winter; they can be quite handsome and add variety to your winter landscape while providing nesting to your friendly native bees.

Helping the native bees would benefit us because of their invaluable services to the environment and to our gardens.

Pollinators and their multiple benefits © Beatriz Moisset

Resources
Ross, Edward S. (2003) Pollinator Conservation Handbook. The Xerces Society and The Bee Works. Portland, Oregon ISBN 0-9744475-0-1. (Bee gardens, bee houses, etc.)
The Xerces Society Guide (2011). Attracting Native Pollinators. Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60342-695-4 (Everything you want to know about pollinators and their conservation)
Urban Bee Gardens. Berkeley University
Nests for Native Bees. The Xerces Society
Bee houses. National Wildlife Federation. (How to build a bee house)

Sellers of bee houses
Knox Cellars.
Mason bee homes.


List of articles
Beginners Guide to Pollinators and Other Flower Visitors

© Beatriz Moisset. 2014

Stinging Nettle. Food for Butterflies and Food for Us

I went for a walk yesterday morning, May 7, and noticed the nettles growing fast and furiously. The tender leaves are an invitation to gourmets who enjoy this healthy vegetable. I have never tasted it, but I think it is time to do so. I tried collecting a few leaves, but soon found out the sting was surprisingly powerful. I have picked up leaves in other occasions with little consequence. I may have to go back wearing gloves.

I found many recipes in the Internet. Garlicky pesto sounds promising. I will try that. Stinging nettle soup also looks tempting.

Early May is perhaps the best time to collect leaves. The plants are already tall and vigorous and, when I collected them yesterday, they seemed free from hungry visitors. However, I am surprised the next day when I look at the leaves in their plastic bag. They are now crawling with tiny aphids.  Last year I found aphids eagerly sucking juices from these plants on May 12. Close observation of the aphids under a microscope led me to notice the impressive structure of the stinging hairs. Interspersed among the regular hairs, considerably larger but still small enough to go unnoticed by the bare eye, the stinging hairs look remarkably different. They are shaped like hypodermic syringes and bursting with fluid, ready to pierce the passerby's skin.

Aphid and stinging hairs

Insect activity grew significantly by June of last year. These plants turned into a zoo of sorts. Aphids abounded on many plants. Large, fat caterpillars were feeding on leaves. Some were hiding within neatly folded leaves shaped as tents. Others had already turned into immobile, colorful chrysalides.

Red admiral caterpillar

Red admiral pupa or chrysalis

Adult red admiral

I was happy to learn that such caterpillars would turn into the lovely admiral butterfly. Nettles can feed several other varieties of caterpillars, the comma butterfly and the spectacular Io moth among them.

Comma butterfly on winter attire

Io moth © Anita Gould

In summary, stinging nettles can enrich a diet and be a worthy addition to a butterfly garden.

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© Beatriz Moisset. 2013

Alien Invasions. Our Native Butterflies and the Intruders that Threaten Them

The invasive cabbage white Pieris rapae, a pest of cabbage and related plants.

When we see a white butterfly it is most likely an invasive European species, called a cabbage white. Its beauty often blinds us to the fact that it is an unwelcome intruder which behaves as a pest. Growers of cabbages, radishes and other plants in the mustard family hate the damage that its caterpillars do to plants. You may have seen that same damage if you grow ornamental cabbages in your garden. The cabbage white or Pieris rapae, is a sturdy fellow that does well in many habitats and keeps spreading throughout the continent.

West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis), beleaguered by non-native plants and butterflies.

The North American native species of white butterflies are well behaved, feeding in a number of native plants, such as toothwort, watercress and other members of the mustard family. They are no threat to native nor cultivated plants as their numbers are not overwhelming and a good balance has been reached between butterflies and food plants.

There are four native species; they all look very similar but you can tell them apart by subtle differences. The lovely green veined butterfly or mustard white butterfly (Pieris oleracea) lives in woodlands across northern North America and in the Rockies and Appalachian mountains. The West Virginia white (Pieris virginiensis) is found in the Appalachian and Great Lakes regions. These butterflies face several threats to their survival; in addition to the more familiar one, loss of habitat, there is a more serious and insidious one due to the presence of an invasive plant, garlic mustard.

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is very familiar to most of us; an introduced invasive species originally from Europe and Asia; it was brought to America as food, although nowadays nobody uses it for this purpose. It promptly escaped cultivation and now is most commonly found in areas disturbed by humans. It can be found almost anywhere in the eastern United States, especially in the spring, growing vigorously in sun or shade, blooming and spreading its seeds. It belongs to the mustard family and this is the undoing of our native white butterflies. Females can't tell the difference between this plant and others of the same family and so they lay their eggs on this plant. Little do they know that garlic mustard is toxic to their babies; their larvae don't do well and die as a result.

One of the reasons for the successful spread of garlic mustard is that when brought to North America, it left behind most of its enemies, about 63 species of insects, including several species of butterflies. It is ironic that the one that tries to take advantage of it is being poisoned and killed by it.

You can learn more about the West Virginia White butterfly and conservation efforts in
Conservation Assessment for the West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis Edwards) and garlic mustard and methods of control in Missouri Department of Conservation website.

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Inkberry pollination

Different flowers have different strategies for pollination. It is interesting to observe them and try to elucidate the interaction between flower and insect in the case of insect pollinated flowers. The small tree or shrub, inkberry (Ilex glabra), a relative of hollies, has numerous small flowers that attract a large number and variety of insects.


The name refers to the inky dark berries

I have observed insects of at least twenty five species visiting its flowers, among them: bees and bumblebees, several kinds of wasps, flies, butterflies and moths and also some beetles. Here are a few examples:

The butterflies of Yucatan

Some common butterflies and moths seen in Yucatan in January, 2006.