habitat restoration

[Lynne Fielder]

I was wondering if anyone had a sample letter that they could share regarding encouraging property owners (business) to stop cutting their lawn in order to leave food and nectar sources for monarchs. If anyone could share a letter for me to modify, I would be very grateful.

Thanks,

Lynne
lynnefi@hotmail.com

[Keith Petrosky]

Yeah, by me there is a few areas with wild milkweed. Every year, there is less and less beacuse people keep mowing it down and pulling it out. I wish I could restore the area.

[Connie]

I agree with this idea. Could someone with a little more political savvy please pen a sample letter for neighbors, politician, road commission persons. I have a roadside pond that borders my property, and every year they mow down mature milkweed. I watch it to see if I can relocate cats, but I am sure I miss some.

[Keith Petrosky]

I failed to mention that it is a public park where they mow. So the milkweed affects the field that little kids play soccer. If the owner wants to mow the milkweed, I doubt there is anything anyone can do. Although, mabye they can plant a milkweed garden. That would be fun for everyone.

[brian flynn]

I to would like to find a way of communication to the road commissions. One HUGE advantage though is that in Mid season here in Michigan beginning in July the hatchlings almost exclusively lay eggs on the small upstarts of milkweed that spring up from mowed areas. These are my main hunting areas for egg collections and cat rearing. I gather about 100 every year. If they did not mow I would not find as many to save from predators and lawn mowers.

[Chip]

We have a new program at Monarch Watch - known as Monarch Waystations. On the web site you will find a text that outlines the Waystation concept and the justification for milkweed restoration. The text can be used as a brochure to educate people about the loss of milkweed habitat and the necessity of adopting roadside management practices that are more friendly to wildlife.

Monarch Waystation Program - http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws/

[ButterflyLady_IL]

The Waystation information is great.
After becoming certified, I took our sign and printed information to a "garden club meeting" and a "Home Extension" meeting. Both groups asked lots of questions and a good exchange of information occurred. Now Checking the registry- I see one family has also become certified. Of the nine Waystations in IL as of today- 3 are in Knox & Warren Counties!
I'm thrilled. Way to Go West Central IL!
What a great way to educate for conservation.
I hope every tagger with a plot will add to the registry. Maybe the registry could be another method of collecting data to educate the political parts of Dept of tranpsortation, or community governments.
Number of people involved locally with plantings, # of taggers, etc.

[Sabra Wineteer]

I live in the exact sort of place that is becoming problematic for the migration. The surrounding farmland is planted with genetically altered grain and before the corn planting farmers use copious amounts of Roundup.

However, most people have enough land around here to put in Waystations or have them sponsored by someone. The university here has a wildlife biology group and this is right up their alley. I will be planting one in our yard next season, but I think in order for it to be truly successful, there needs to be several along the way, so many miles or whatever the necessary distance to keep them fed. Does anyone know what this distance is, assuming they are going to have to rely on Waystations solely?

Thanks in advance.

[Paul Cherubini]

However, most people have enough land around here to put in Waystations or have them sponsored by someone. I will be planting one in our yard next season, but I think in order for it to be truly successful, there needs to be several along the way, so many miles or whatever the necessary distance to keep them fed. Does anyone know what this distance is, assuming they are going to have to rely on Waystations solely?

Sabra, opinions vary, but I personally don't think monarchs will ever need to rely solely on Waystations for flower nectar or milkweed. I believe farmers in the Midwest will always need to feed their farm animals and therefore will always need to plant livestock feed crops like alfalfa and red clover. Some of the alfalfa and red clover crop is always in bloom during the fall migration period and hundreds or thousands of monarchs can be found nectaring in such fields.

For example, in mid-September this year there were many thousands of monarchs nectaring in a field of red clover near Horton, Kansas and at sunset some of the monarchs even clustered on sunflower plants growing among the pink red clover plants:

Sunset photo: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /evena.jpg
Sunrise photo: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /evenb.jpg

Here are more crop nectaring or clustering photos I took in Minnesota and Iowa this year:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /necte.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /nectm.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... ch/alf.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /necta.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /monoc.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /monob.jpg

I also commonly see wildflowers like goldenrod, sunflower and blazing star (Liatris) growing along the margins of transgenic crops:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /monod.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... ch/lia.jpg

I also have found it easy to find monarch caterpillars and sometimes newly emerged monarchs along the margins of the transgenic crops:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... h/vert.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /monof.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /monog.jpg

[psi_chemie]

Hey Paul, thanks for the pics. You really post some good ones. Looks like you do a lot of monarch chasing! The one with the clover and sunflower cluster is really awesome.

[Keith Petrosky]

Great News! I got in contact with someone who may be able to take the lot where the monarchs show up each year for milkweed, and hopefully fix it up and plant some flowers and trees. If everything works out this is great news!

[Teresa]

That's great Keith! I too have an area right down the road that the township just redid and it's flat and ready for milkweed I'm going to go to a township meeting to get permission and I should easily be able to plant about 500 plants there

[Sabra Wineteer]

I'm getting together with the wildlife biologist to pick out plants that will work best here. We usually get some monarchs, but they don't seem to stay very long.

[Keith Petrosky]

Hopefully in Spring I will see people fixing the area, if not than that means they may not fix it up at all, which would be terrible.

[Mona Miller]

I was wondering if anyone had a sample letter that they could share regarding encouraging property owners (business) to stop cutting their lawn in order to leave food and nectar sources for monarchs. If anyone could share a letter for me to modify, I would be very grateful. Thanks, Lynne lynnefi@hotmail.com

The Monarch Watch Waystation webpage has a nice brochure that explains the importance of conserving roadways for wildlife. These can be printed and handout to officials:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations ... ochure.pdf
Monarch Waystation Promotional Brochure

It is located in the section called downloads:
http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/download.html