With brilliant orange wings sporting black stripes and white spots, Monarch Butterflies fly thousands of miles every year between their southern overwintering grounds as far north as Canada and back.
Those passing south through Arizona head in different directions - some overwinter in Mexico, while others head for California. It’s not known what percentage of butterflies go to which destination or why.
Monarchs rely on milkweed. Females are known to lay eggs on almost all forty or so species of milkweed found in Arizona. This crucial host plant provides nutrient-dense food for caterpillars to feed on before weaving bright green and golden flecked pupae. Newly emerged adults continue the migration, which may take several generations to complete.
But population numbers are declining rapidly, partially due to habitat loss. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may list the butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The nonprofit Arizona Milkweeds for Monarchs involves students in hands-on conservation work to tackle the problem via an internship program at Northern Arizona University.
Activities include tagging and releasing monarchs to monitor migration patterns, growing milkweed and building pollinator gardens — including a new 50-acre site at Rockin’ River Ranch State Park in Camp Verde.
This summer, interns will plant milkweeds at sites like Willowbend Environmental Education Center and around Rogers Lake for a combined total of 4,000 new plants.
It's all to help Monarch butterflies on their epic journeys.
This Earth Note was written by Diane Hope and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
