Monarch Butterfly

Throughout the study of the old field, there are many herbaceous species when it comes to the different types of plants. Herbaceous plants are vascular plants with no persistent woody stems above ground, including many perennials and nearly all annuals and biennials. This means that they provide a lot of resources for insects. One specifically that I am going to target is the correlation between milkweed and monarch butterflies.

The adult monarch and monarch larvae are both brightly colored, warning potential predators that they are poisonous. Predators only need to taste a monarch butterfly or larva once to learn not to eat them again, and most animals quickly spit them out (Salato Wildlife Education Center, 2021).

Milkweed is the host plant for monarch butterflies. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. Monarchs use various milkweeds, and monarch larvae, or caterpillars, feed exclusively on milkweed leaves (Monarch Butterfly Habitat Needs, 2021).

Milkweed contains a variety of chemical compounds that make monarch caterpillars poisonous to potential predators. Milkweeds contain a heart poison that is poisonous to most vertebrates but does not hurt the monarch caterpillar. Some milkweed species have higher levels of these toxins than others, and Monarchs show preference to some milkweed species.

Milkweeds are listed in some states and provinces as noxious weeds. Certain milkweed species are considered toxic because they can be poisonous to cattle and other livestock. In some locations, it isn't easy to improve the habitat for monarch butterflies because of the status of milkweed. Removing milkweed is a threat to the monarch butterfly.

There are additional threats to monarch butterflies, such as the use of herbicides and pesticides (Monarch Butterfly Habitat Needs, 2021).

While milkweed is common in my study area, other species provide nectar for Monarch butterflies. Monarchs leave the overwintering sites in the spring, and nectar is essential to Texas's journey. Nutrition from early spring nectar-bearing wildflowers provides the energy and nutrients for these monarchs to develop their reproductive organs. When they arrive in Texas, they will breed and then die. As the new monarchs emerge, they will make their way north. It will take three more generations of monarchs to complete their journey northward and then again start the migratory cycle.

Salato Wildlife Education Center. (2021). Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly. FW.KY.GOV. https://fw.ky.gov/Education/Documents/Salato/ButterflyLifeCycleChart.pdf

Monarch Butterfly Habitat Needs. (2021). Fs.Fed.Us. https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/habitat/