MONARCH BUTTERFLY MAY BE LISTED AS ENDANGERED SPECIES

      The Monarch butterfly may land on the Endangered Species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking into the possibility of offering this American icon butterfly federal protection. I hope this happens, for like most who created a Monarch Waystation in their yard, I've grown to appreciate these creatures. Below is a video of the Monarch Waystation operation in my small, suburban yard:

   I raised and released 115 Monarch butterflies in 2014

 

   It all came about after a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision whether or not the beloved Monarch deserves federal protection will probably be announced this coming August. We must FLOOD the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with letters! We have till March 2, 2015. Here's the address: Tony Sullins, Chief of Endangered Species, Midwest Region, 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 990 Bloomington, MN 55437; telephone 612-713-5334; or fax 612-713-5292.  ass the word!

     The Monarch butterfly has a wingspan up to just more than 4 inches and weighs less than a gram. It spends much of its life migrating, flying more than 3,000 miles between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

     “This journey has become more dangerous and less successful for many monarchs because of threats in their migratory paths and summer and overwintering habitats, particularly the loss of milkweed, the monarch caterpillar’s primary food source,” says Vanessa Kauffman, another spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

     The introduction of genetically engineered crops resilient to herbicides has led to more herbicide use on and around crops in the Midwest, where most monarchs hatch. As herbicide use skyrockets, the amount of milkweed plummets and not surprisingly, the number of monarchs has plummeted as well. The Monarch population in North America has dropped 90 percent, and in the West it has dropped 50 percent.

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 DEDICATED TO SAVING THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY
MONARCH WAYSTATION ATTRACTS MONARCHS TO YARD

 

Create A Wildlife-Friendly Yard (CWFY) is dedicated to saving the Monarch Butterfly. We want to hear from you! Press HERE to contact us.