Photo © 2005 by Jim Jung and licensors. All rights reserved

Monarch Butterflies

With their larval food source - Milkweed - in full bloom our returning Monarch Butterflies locate clumps of their favorite flower and lay their eggs thereon. This attraction to the toxic Milkweeds is vital to the potential Monarch progeny since it's the only plant they can successfully eat. It's also vital to their success as a species since the young caterpillars incorporate the toxins in the Milkweed into their own bodies making them toxic as well, and also toxic to any potential butterfly predator.

Milkweed with seed pods

Photo © 2005 by Jim Jung. All rights reserved

Monarch populations seem to be in decline. Since their fate is bound so tightly to their larval food plant the story of the Monarch's decline is the story of the decline of the Milkweed - viewed by farmers as a noxious weed - and ruthlessly attacked whenever found. However here in southern Illinois, at least, the Milkweeds seem to be in no danger of going extinct any time soon. The problem lies in the abundance of Milkweed colonies between here and the Monarch's wintering grounds in Mexico which apparently are in decline.

From our Archive:

• Gardening for Moths and Butterflies

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