Monarch butterfly habitat

Limit use of herbicides within and surrounding the habitat only to control invasive or noxious weeds. Milkweeds contain a cardiac (heart) poison that is poisonous to most vertebrates (animals with backbones) but does not hurt the monarch caterpillar. Whether it’s a field, roadside area, open area, wet area, or urban garden; milkweed and flowering plants are needed for monarch habitat. Their wings are a deep orange with black borders and veins, and white spots along the edges. Eradication of milkweed is a threat to the monarch butterfly.There are additional threats to monarch butterflies, such as the use of herbicides and pesticides.There are a several native and introduced milkweed plants in the genus What’s the difference between noxious weeds and invasive plants?The number of monarch butterflies is rapidly declining. Monarchs show preference to some milkweed species.The adult monarch and monarch larvae are both brightly colored serving as a warning to potential predators that they are poisonous. Adult monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, but they breed only where milkweeds are found.Many butterflies have a single plant required as a food source for their larval form called a host plant. The document benefited from the review and input of many knowledgeable biologists, including Mia Monroe (who initiated and still coordinates the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count along with the Xerces Society), Francis Villablanca (a professor at Cal Poly and director of Monarch Alert), and Dan Meade (who has studied overwintering monarchs for decades). Viceroy butterflies are slightly smaller than monarchs and have a black line across the hindwing. Nutrition from early spring nectar bearing wildflowers provides the energy and nutrients for these monarchs to develop their reproductive organs. In the fall, adults of an eastern population migrate to Mexico, flying up to 3,000 miles. Some milkweed species have higher levels of these toxins than others. The Viceroy has a single row of white dots in the black marginal band of the wing where the monarch has multiple white spots.Milkweeds are listed in some states and provinces as noxious weeds. These patches provide stopping-off points for the migrating butterflies to refuel and continue their journey. As monarchs migrate south, they will actually gain weight as they continue to feed on nectar bearing flowers.

However, no genetic differences between the western and eastern monarch populations exist; reproductive isolation has not led to subspeciation of these populations, as it has elsewhere within the species' range. The discontinuous patches of nectar sources are “corridors” that monarchs will follow, like stepping-stones across a stream to complete their migration.During spring and summer, monarchs breed throughout the U.S. and southern Canada. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds.Over 100 species of milkweed exist in North America, but only about one fourth of them are known to be important host plants for monarch butterflies. Unlike the larvae that only eat milkweeds, adult monarchs feed on a wide variety of nectar bearing flowers. In some locations it is difficult to improve habitat for monarch butterflies because of the status of milkweed. Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants (Adult monarchs will drink the nectar of many flowers in addition to milkweed; in fact they need sources of nectar to nourish them throughout the entire growing season. The monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable and well studied butterflies on the planet. A combination of early, middle and late blooming species, with overlap in flowering times, will fuel butterfly breeding and migration and provide beautiful blooms season-long. The range differs between breeding areas, migration routes, and winter roosts. The Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange enables efficient and effective restoration and conservation of vital milkweed habitat, which monarchs need for breeding and feeding.

Certain milkweed species are considered noxious because they can be poisonous to cattle and other livestock. Unsuspecting predators only need to taste a monarch butterfly or larva once to learn not to eat them again.

The large and brilliantly-colored monarch butterfly is among the most easily recognizable of the butterfly species that call North America home. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. In eastern North America, the monarchs leave the over wintering sites in the spring. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is among the most recognized, studied, and loved of all of North America’s insects. Most animals quickly spit them out.The Viceroy butterfly takes advantage of the protective coloration of the monarch butterfly by “mimicking”, or copying the colors and pattern of the monarch wing. The document also includes a list of monarch-attractive native nectar plants suitable for coastal areas.

As the new monarchs emerge they will make their way north. Its orange wings are laced with black lines and bordered with white dots. The International Plant Propagator's Society published this article in their Combined Proceedings, Volume 64, 2014.This handout provides the public, gardeners, and plant growers and nurseries with a concise description of the importance of native milkweeds and their value to monarchs and to the plant industry!