{"id":510,"date":"2013-03-23T22:25:20","date_gmt":"2013-03-23T22:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=510"},"modified":"2014-04-08T01:17:55","modified_gmt":"2014-04-08T01:17:55","slug":"monarchs-a-call-to-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=510","title":{"rendered":"Monarchs: A Call to Action – Spring 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Barb Elliot<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Distressed.\u00a0 That\u2019s what we Monarch-lovers feel hearing the bad news about the butterflies overwintering in Mexico.\u00a0 Monarch numbers have fallen to dangerously
\nlow levels \u2013 the lowest in the 20 years that records have been kept.\u00a0 \u00a0This chart (based on area covered by wintering Monarchs) shows how the population has declined (1 hectare = 2.5 acres):<\/p>\n

\"Source:<\/a>

Source: Monarch Watch Caption: Chart from Monarch Watch http:\/\/monarchwatch.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/monarch-population-status-18<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Reasons for the decline include recent weather extremes, but the most significant
\nfactor is loss of Monarch habitat.\u00a0 In Mexico, much of the Oyamel fir forests that shelter wintering Monarchs have been lost.\u00a0 In the U.S. and Canada, millions of acres of farmland, roadsides, and undeveloped land that formerly provided milkweed, the Monarch caterpillars\u2019 only food, have been lost.\u00a0\u00a0 (See my October 13, 2012 post \u201cMarvelous Migrating Monarchs Need Our Help\u201d<\/a> for more detail on the habitat loss).<\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t lost the Monarch yet.\u00a0 There is something\u00a0YOU can do to help.<\/p>\n

\"Male<\/a>

Male Monarch on New England Aster in Barb\u2019s yard. September 21, 2012. Photo \u00a9 Barb Elliot
Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Chip\u00a0Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch, says, \u201c<\/em>To assure a future for monarchs, conservation and restoration of milkweeds needs to become a national priority.\u201d<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

To this end, Edie and I want to increase the number of host plants available in our area.\u00a0 We will be planting additional milkweeds in our yards, but we\u2019d like to make it easy for you to join us in this endeavor.\u00a0 To encourage you to plant milkweeds we are offering three species of milkweed plants for sale at $1 per plant \u2013 less than our cost.\u00a0 These species are native to southeastern PA and are ones that we grow in our gardens.\u00a0\u00a0 In addition to being host plants for Monarch caterpillars, they all have beautiful flowers that provide nectar and pollen for adult Monarchs and many other butterflies and pollinators.\u00a0 All are deer resistant.<\/p>\n

These are the species we will be selling for $1 per plant:<\/p>\n

\n
\"Monarch<\/a><\/dt>\n
Monarch on Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) in Barb’s garden. July 9 2012. Photo \u00a9 Barb Elliot.\u00a0 Click to enlarge.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

!!!!!!!!!!!!SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Swamp Milkweed<\/strong> (Asclepias incarnata<\/i>)<\/strong>;\u00a0 pink flowers June to August;\u00a0 height 3-4\u2019, spread 2\u2019; part to full sun, average to moist soil;\u00a0 more sun results in more flowers, willow-like leaves 4-5\u201d long<\/p>\n

!!!!!!!!!!!!SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
\"Butterfly<\/a><\/dt>\n
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). Click to enlarge.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/td>\n
!!!!!!!!SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!<\/span><\/strong>Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa<\/i>)<\/strong>; orange flowers June to August; height 18\u201d-24\u201d; spread 2\u2019; sun, dry to average soil;\u00a0 tough, drought-tolerant, slow to emerge in spring, taproot makes established plants difficult to transplant; especially good for rock garden or dry slope<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"Whorled<\/a>

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) in Barb’s yard. July 28, 2010. Photo \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata<\/i>)<\/strong>; white flowers in July and August; height 1-3\u2019; spread 1-2\u2019; sun, dry to average soil; fine-textured needle-like leaves<\/p>\n

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We need to know how many plants to order from our wholesale supplier, so we will be accepting your orders until Monday, April 1st<\/sup><\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 You may order as many as you like of each species.\u00a0 (Please note that Whorled\u00a0Milkweed\u00a0and Swamp Milkweed are both sold out<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0and are no longer\u00a0available. Butterfly Milkweed is still currently available.) \u00a0You will be able to pick up your plants\u00a0during the last week of May and\/or the first week of June in the Wayne\/King of Prussia, PA area.\u00a0 They will be hearty landscape plugs with well-developed root systems of about 5\u201d deep.\u00a0 Our experience is that if planted in the right location, these plugs grow very quickly and mature enough to flower in their first year.\u00a0 We encourage you to plant at the very least 3, but preferably 8 or more of each species.\u00a0 With the plants about 12\u201d apart, you can achieve a dense mass planting that will entice the butterflies with a showy target.\u00a0 When a female Monarch lays eggs on your milkweeds there will be enough foliage to sustain hungry caterpillars.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t\u2019 have enough space for in-ground planting, consider using pots or containers.<\/p>\n

\"Monarch<\/a>

Monarch caterpillar on Swamp Milkweed in Barb’s garden. August 13, 2011. Photo \u00a9 Barb Elliot. Click to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

To order, send\u00a0an email to\u00a0this email address: info@backyardsfornature.org<\/a>\u00a0with Milkweed in the Subject line.\u00a0 \u00a0Specify the quantity you want for each species and include your name.\u00a0 Again, the cost is $1 per plant.\u00a0 We will get back to you to confirm your order and let you know when and where you can pick up your plants.\u00a0 We plan to have flexible pick-up times in the Wayne\/King of Prussia area after the plants become available, sometime\u00a0during\u00a0the last week\u00a0of May\/first week of June.\u00a0 We will let you know specific dates and location as soon as possible.\u00a0 Payment will be due at pickup.<\/p>\n

Please pitch in to provide milkweeds to help the Monarchs!\u00a0 Talk to family, friends, and neighbors about the need.\u00a0 Share plants with them.\u00a0 When Monarchs return to the east in late spring, consider reporting your sightings as a citizen scientist by using http:\/\/www.learner.org\/jnorth\/<\/a>\u00a0 and\/or having your yard certified as Monarch Waystation through Monarch Watch (www.monarchwatch.org<\/a>).\u00a0 Check your milkweeds frequently for Monarch eggs and caterpillars.\u00a0\u00a0 If you have the time, take some eggs or caterpillars inside to raise them.\u00a0 They will have a much better chance of survival and it\u2019s fascinating and fun to do.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________<\/p>\n

For more information about Monarchs, their migration and raising them, scroll down to see my two previous Monarch-related posts of October 13, 2012 and August 20, 2012. Also, see:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/monarchwatch.org\/blog\/2013\/03\/monarch-population-status-18\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/03\/16\/opinion\/the-dying-of-the-monarch-butterflies.html?_r=0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Barb Elliot Distressed.\u00a0 That\u2019s what we Monarch-lovers feel hearing the bad news about the butterflies overwintering in Mexico.\u00a0 Monarch numbers have fallen to dangerously low levels \u2013 the lowest in the 20 years that records have been kept.\u00a0 \u00a0This … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=510"}],"version-history":[{"count":78,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1156,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions\/1156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}