CREATE A WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY YARD

Welcome to Create A Wildlife-Friendly Yard!

2025-08-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

ABOUT US

Hey Monarch butterfly lovers! We're all about helping these beautiful creatures, and one of the best ways you can pitch in is by creating wildlife-friendly spaces in your yard or at your workplace. Not only does this boost biodiversity and support tons of other plants and animals, but it also gives you a front-row seat to some amazing summertime entertainment.

Got a great Monarch story or tip to share? Head over to the "Send Me Your Monarch Story" section on the right margin of the blog and email me your experiences. I'd love to share your stories with other Monarch enthusiasts. Let's keep this community buzzing with Monarch magic! Enjoy!

🦋 Encouraging News: Monarch Butterfly Numbers Nearly Double in 2025!

2025-08-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

🦋

If you’ve been worried about our beloved Monarchs, here’s a bit of good news to lift your wings: the eastern Monarch butterfly population nearly doubled this past winter! 🧡

According to a new report released from Mexico, these iconic pollinators covered 4.42 acres of forest in central Mexico during their 2024-2025 winter stay — up from just 2.22 acres the year before. While that’s not quite back to historical averages, it’s a solid step in the right direction.

🧐 What’s Behind the Bump?

Each year, the WWF-Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas team up with local communities to track how much forest the Monarch colonies occupy. It's one of the best ways scientists can estimate population size — and this year’s jump is the biggest in a while.

So, what changed? The experts say better weather in 2024 helped a lot. There were fewer severe droughts along the butterflies' long journey from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico, making it easier for them to find food and rest stops along the way.

🚧 Not Out of the Woods Yet

Even with this hopeful surge, Monarch populations are still far below their long-term average. Forest habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change remain serious threats. As Jorge Rickards of WWF-Mexico puts it, "It’s now time to turn this year’s increase into a lasting trend.”

That means we can’t take our foot off the pedal just yet.

🌱 What Can You Do?

This is where you come in. Whether you’re planting native milkweed, avoiding pesticides, or spreading the word about conservation, your efforts truly matter.

Let’s keep the momentum going — so future generations can enjoy the magical migration of the Monarch for years to come.

Why Are We Seeing So Few Monarch Butterflies?

2024-07-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Monarch butterflies are not being seen and it's mid-July

Why Are We Seeing So Few Monarch Butterflies?

Have you noticed that there are fewer Monarch butterflies fluttering around these days? You're not alone, and there's a good reason for it. Monarchs need a vast, healthy migratory path and large, robust forests to survive the winter. Unfortunately, these crucial habitats are under threat.

The Challenges Monarchs Face

Monarch butterflies are facing a significant reduction in their breeding habitat in the U.S. due to herbicide use and changes in land use. Additionally, their wintering sites in Mexico are experiencing forest degradation, making it harder for them to survive the cold months.

A Rough Year for Monarchs

The year 2024 has been particularly tough on Monarchs. The ice storm in Texas in 2023 and the historic hot summer that followed have severely impacted their population. Reports from overwintering sites for the eastern population of Monarchs in Mexico show a staggering 59% decrease—the second lowest count in history. Meanwhile, the California population has dropped by 30%.

The Push for Protection

Back in 2014, there was a petition to list Monarchs under the federal Endangered Species Act. In December 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed that the listing was warranted but had to prioritize other actions on its National Priority List. The Monarch is now slated to be listed in 2024.

Expert Insights

Chip Taylor from Monarch Watch explains why we're seeing so few Monarchs: "When their numbers are low, it suggests that there are threats. The biggest threats Monarchs face are habitat loss and changes in weather patterns. Warmer temperatures negatively affect Monarch populations."

A Message from the WWF

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has also weighed in on the issue. During the 2023-2024 winter season, estimates showed that Monarchs occupied only 2.2 acres of central Mexico's forests—59% less than the previous year. This annual survey, conducted by WWF and its partners, is a key indicator of the Monarch population's status.

The Bigger Picture

Scientists believe that climate variations in the Monarchs' breeding areas in Canada and the U.S. have led to high temperatures and drought. These conditions have reduced the abundance of milkweed, the only plant where Monarchs lay their eggs. Additionally, land-use changes and the widespread use of herbicides have further contributed to the loss of milkweed and other nectar plants essential for adult Monarchs.

Call to Action

"Fewer Monarchs hibernating in their traditional forest habitat in Mexico greatly concerns all of us," said Jorge Rickards, general director of WWF Mexico. "It's critical that all communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and others continue to strengthen our conservation and protection efforts to support the Monarch's unique migration."

This situation isn't just a random occurrence; it's a call to action. We need to intensify our conservation and restoration measures both inside and outside the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve to ensure these beautiful butterflies continue to grace our skies.

Monarch Butterfly Happenings! A nationwide network of Monarch Waystations?

2016-11-22T07:37:00.002-08:00

I just got an email from a new subscriber who lives in Solon, Ohio. He wanted to know how to help the Monarch butterfly to survive, so this issue has articles on how individuals are helping the Monarch to survive, yard-by-yard, school-by-school, and business-by-business.

Many are helping out! Third-graders in Westerville, Ohio became lobbyists to protect the Monarch, and waystations for Monarchs are being planned for Arizona parks. The importance of creating a Monarch butterfly garden in your yard and business is also explained.

I’m excited about the $89,000 grant provided by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It is helping the Southwest Monarch Study to build Monarch Waystations in Arizona’s parks. Let’s expand this initiative! The hundreds of thousands of miles of Interstate-highway medium strips and the millions of miles of major state highways can someday become a nationwide grid of Monarch Waystations, a coast-to-coast system that protects all pollinators!

Trump's kids shooting big-game endangered species.

2016-07-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Trump's Kids shooting big game endangered species

MONARCH BUTTERFLY HAPPENINGS!

2016-04-12T04:36:00.003-07:00

Monarch Butterfly numbers used to be in the billions

he MoTnarch Butterfly faces four hazards to their survival. The Monarch is headed for extinction and should be included on the Endangered Species List.

Two short decades ago, over a billion monarchs flew up into the U.S. from Mexico seeking milkweed plants to lay their eggs on. Maybe, those numbers will come back...someday. I remember when they faced a great snowstorm in Mexico that killed many of them. Kudos to David Suzuki's foundation which hosts #gotmilkweed and Monarch Manifesto campaigns to help bring back the monarch.

MONARCH BUTTERFLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1: 10/05/15

2015-10-06T20:20:00.002-07:00

My wife & I released 208 Monarch butterflies this year- here's
the last one, a male.

From deforestation in Mexico to a dwindling food supply in the U.S., Monarch butterflies face threats on both sides of the border.

Funds available to restore Monarch butterfly habitats. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has awarded a nearly $250,000 grant to seven Oklahoma tribes to restore important monarch habitat on tribal lands and create in-state sources for much-needed milkweed production. The award is part of a first round of 22 grants totaling $3.3 million for projects across the country deemed most important to recovery of the iconic orange-and-black butterflies.

Kim Nelson of Raymond, Wisconsin raises and releases Monarch butterflies. She represents and is the poster child of "Monarch lovers" everywhere. Hooray for Kim!

Millions of Monarch butterflies are now visiting Texas, ready to treat the state as an all-you-can-eat buffet, building up fat levels that sustain them all winter in the cool mountains of Mexico. Did you know Texas has more milkweed types than any other state?

Harvesting milkweed is vital to sustaining the Monarch butterfly. By harvesting the pods of common milkweed plants, which contain the plant’s seeds, and then planting those seeds — or even just spreading them — in areas that aren’t mowed, governments and individuals can help grow more of the plants, which are vital to the monarchs’ life cycle.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. enjoys his wildlife-friendly suburban yard and is devoted to saving the Monarch butterfly.

3 WAYS TO HELP THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES THIS FALL!

2015-10-06T19:38:00.001-07:00

Monarchs love my Zinnia flower patch

I took the above photo yesterday. The migrating Monarch butterflies seem to make it a habit to zero in on a small patch of Zinnias my brother planted here in NW Pennsylvania. The flowers are still well in bloom and just yesterday (10/05/15) a large Monarch spent a full half hour visiting each flower. Its body actually pumped up and down as it savored the nectar of these late-blooming plants.

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES UPDATE FROM NW OHIO.

2015-08-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

Little Portage WA sloughs connect main marshes

Yesterday (Monday, August 24) was a balmy day here in NW Ohio and some Monarchs were migrating while others were still laying eggs...go figure. I drove to Little Portage Wildlife Area just north of Fremont and collected eggs, tiny hatchlings and several very large Monarch caterpillars about to form a "J" off a single milkweed plant! The plant was in the middle of a mowed path that meanders through Little Portage, so I took them all home before the plow comes along.

Swamp milkweed abounds along the sloughs at
Little Portage WA. Female Monarchs frequent them.

While trekking through the area, three Monarch butterflies flew by and I got some nice photos of them. The wetlands through Little Portage were full of Wood ducks and Great Blue herons. A series of narrow sloughs connect the main marshes, making the walks along them interesting, especially if you enjoy watching dragonflies. Swamp milkweed abounds along these sloughs and they are frequented by female Monarchs during the breeding season.

Large caterpillars and eggs were found on same milkweed
plants lining the sloughs at Little Portage WA

Back home, I released a female Monarch onto a pot of Black-eyed Susan I keep on the front porch. She was the 112th Monarch I released this year, and I still have 89 chrysalises lining the tops of my plastic aquarium cages that have not yet to eclose. Did I mention the 30+ caterpillars that have yet to form chrysalises, the 10 un-hatched eggs? If they all develop properly, it is projected that 241 Monarch butterflies will be raised and released from my Monarch Waystation No. 163, up from 115 last year.

I hope to raise and release 241 Monarch butterflies
from my suburban yard Monarch Waystation No. 163

Out of the releases thus far, 56 were males, 50 were females and 3 are unknown sex because they flew away before I could check. I hope there is a high turnout in Mexico this fall, we shall see!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. enjoys his wildlife-friendly suburban yard and is devoted to saving the Monarch butterfly. Contact him on the Secure Contact Form.

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES NEED TO BE TAGGED!

2015-08-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Monarch butterfly with tag

     You can get a "Monarch Watch Tagging Kit". I just got this email from Monarch Watch. They need to keep tagging monarchs as a way of monitoring their numbers and tracking any shifts in the origins of monarchs that reach Mexico. If you are a long-term tagger, you know it has been increasingly difficult to find enough monarchs to tag, especially during the last two years. The totals tagged each year roughly parallel the numbers recorded in Mexico each winter, giving Monarch Watch an independent assessment of the numbers in the migration. Regional tagging success also helps in that it demonstrates how monarchs respond to the physical conditions and quality of the habitats in these areas.
     Thus, tagging is an important tool to help understand the overall dynamics of the monarch population. Tags for the 2015 fall tagging season are now available from Monarch Watch. If you would like to tag monarchs this year, please order your tags ASAP! Monarch Watch Tagging Kits are only shipped to areas east of the Rocky Mountains. As usual, each tagging kit includes a set of specially manufactured monarch butterfly tags (you specify quantity), a datasheet, tagging instructions, and additional monarch / migration information.
     Tagging Kits for the 2015 season start at only $15 and include your choice of 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, or 500 tags. Monarch Watch Tagging Kits and other materials are available via the Monarch Watch Shop online at http://shop.monarchwatch.org - where each purchase helps support Monarch Watch. 2015 datasheets and instructions are also available online at http://monarchwatch.org/tag

Make a Difference! Please sign this petition. Thank you!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is dedicated to saving the Monarch butterfly. If you have any comments or pro-Monarch info to share, please contact him on the Secure Contact Form and, if you like, he will publish it on this blog. He enjoys hearing from fellow Monarch lovers!

MONARCH BUTTERFLY NOTES- FRIDAY 7/24/2015

2015-07-24T09:58:00.003-07:00

Friday July 24, 2015: Please sign the "Stop Roadside Mowing of Monarch Food Supply" petition. It's not even noon yet and things are hopping at Waystation # 613 in NW Ohio! a male Monarch emerged and I released him onto the tree lawn Cone Flowers. He is healthy as can be and flexed his wings in the gentle wind, letting them dry off completely. He is release #4 and I took this photo of him:

Male Monarch #4 released onto Purple Coneflower

Shortly thereafter, I checked my backyard Common Milkweed patch and collected 18 eggs...all were laid since yesterday afternoon. More Monarch butterflies are visiting my yard, drawn by the scent of the milkweed plants. Here is a photo of the backyard waystation - there are roughly 30 Common Milkweed plants in it:

Backyard Common Milkweeds attract Monarch females.

I checked the plastic containers and noticed many of the 70+ cream-colored Monarch eggs have turned pale grey with a black spot on the top. They will be hatching shortly. I will have many mouths to feed, so will collect milkweed leaves, wash them off (for OE virus), then store them in zip-lock bags in the refrigerator (They last forever when you do that).

Cumulative log 7/24/2015:

Total Monarch eggs collected- 78

Total Monarch caterpillars collected- 1

Monarchs released- 4 (3 males, 1 female)

Make a Difference! Please sign this petition. Thank you!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is dedicated to saving the Monarch butterfly. If you have any comments or pro-Monarch info to share, please contact him on the Secure Contact Form and, if you like, he will publish it on this blog. He enjoys hearing from fellow Monarch lovers!

MONARCH BUTTERFLY NEWS UPDATE! 7/24/2015

2015-07-23T22:13:00.004-07:00

**Gardeners And Property Owners Urged To Plant Milkweed To Save Monarch Butterflies

**In the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul, Patricia Ohmans and Paul Nelson noticed that an empty lot might be just the place to cultivate a new monarch butterfly community.

**What is happening to the cherished Monarch Butterfly? Pesticides Have Killed 90 Percent of the Monarch Butterfly Population in 20 Years. Take Action Now!

**Help save the Monarch butterfly...plant milkweed! North American monarch butterflies are in trouble. Threats, including loss of milkweed habitat needed to lay their eggs and for their caterpillars to eat, are having a devastating impact on their populations and the migration phenomenon.

**Professor says more milkweed habitats needed for monarch butterflies. One of the most widely recognized butterflies in North America, the monarch, is disappearing fast. Most of that decline is blamed on changing land use, but property owners can help shore up the population by setting aside monarch "way stations" filled with milkweed and other nectar-rich plants.

Make a Difference! Please sign this petition. Thank you!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is dedicated to saving the Monarch butterfly. If you have any comments or pro-Monarch info to share, please contact him on the Secure Contact Form and he will publish it on this blog.

MONARCH BUTTERFLY NOTES- 7/23/2015

2015-07-23T10:59:00.003-07:00

Female Monarch butterfly laying eggs on Butterfly Milkweed
at Wolf Creek Park.

Thursday July 23, 2015: Hiked around Wolf Creek Park, just south of Fremont, Ohio at noon today. I was elated by the several Monarch females laying eggs amongst the Butterfly Milkweed plants. They are plentiful in the meadow at the entrance to the park. I took photos and videos of the female Monarchs moving from one flower cluster to another on the Butterfly Milkweeds, then seemed to take a break and fed on nearby Wild Bergamot flowers. Then, back to the serious business of laying dozens of eggs and perpetuating the species!

Female Monarch laying eggs at Wolf
Creek Park

     It was fun and uplifting to see them at work...they're back! Before leaving, I collected eggs off milkweed plants that were along the park path and probably would be mowed.
     On the way home, I drove slowly along several county roads that were nearby to Wolf Creek Park and checked several patches of Common Milkweed that were just off the pavement and soon would be mowed. In total, I collected 14 Monarch eggs on my "Monarch Jaunt."

A Tiger Swallowtail fed on the Wild Bergamot
at Wolf Creek Park

Upon arriving home, I checked the side yard Common and Swamp Milkweed plants and collected 17 eggs! That makes 31 eggs collected in total for today alone. After rarely seeing a Monarch butterfly and finding zero eggs on the dozens of milkweed plants so far this summer, today was quite uplifting, indeed! I have 3 plastic aquariums filled with milkweed leaves

with Monarch butterfly eggs attached.
Later on that afternoon, I checked the side yard milkweeds again and found 4 more eggs...that's 35 eggs in total for today.

The female Monarchs and Tiger Swallowtail fed
voraciously on the Wild Bergamot at Wolf
Creek Park

Interestingly, I've only collected one tiny caterpillar so far. Seeing few eggs or tiny newly-hatched Monarch caterpillars until now leads me to believe that, on only the past several days, the real egg-laying summertime event has finally arrived here in Fremont, in NW Ohio.

Another female Monarch busy egg-laying at Wolf
Creek Park

Cumulative log 7/23/2015:

Total Monarch eggs collected- 61

Total Monarch caterpillars collected- 1

Monarchs released- 3, 2 males 1 female

Make a Difference! Please sign this petition. Thank you!

MONARCH BUTTERFLY LOG JULY 22, 2015

2015-07-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

July 22, 2015 Wednesday: I walked along the fence at Loew's in Fremont and checked the line of milkweed plants that were unmowed due to their proximity to the fence. Saw a half dozen Monarchs flying among them. Collected 19 eggs and 1 caterpillar 1/8" long. This is the first time I've seen that many Monarchs laying eggs. Later on that day, a male Monarch emerged from a chrysalis. Released it in front Purple Coneflower bed.

Cumulative log:
Total Eggs collected- 25
Total Caterpillars collected- 1
Monarchs released- 2, 1 male 1 female

July 21, 2015 Tuesday: I collected 6 Monarch eggs off the Common milkweed in my backyard waystation. I saw my second Monarch butterfly flying in the patch, but was probably one of two Monarchs I released several days earlier.

July 18, 2015: Two crysalis' opened into 1 male and 1 female Monarch butterfly. They were healthy and released into the Purple Coneflowers in my tree lawn.

WATERFOWL RETURNING TO NW OHIO!

2015-03-16T10:04:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Hiked the Eagle Point Nature Preserve in Erie County. Its 88 acres of marshland connects to the East Sandusky Bay and is part of the NW portion of 1,200 acres along Lake Erie's coastline known as the East Sandusky Bay MetroPark. A naturalist from the Erie MetroParks, Cheryl Kilmer, took the small group to an observation deck where we could look out into the East Sandusky Bay. The duck, geese and swans are making their way to their northern breeding grounds. On the way home, I stopped at Castalia Pond in Castalia, Ohio and at the Lighthouse Pier bird walk site in Huron, Ohio. Below is a Watch List of the birds seen today, along with a video I made of today's sitings. How many in the list can you identify on the video?

Watch List

Bald Eagle
Trumpeter swans (10)
Tundra swans
Canada geese
Am. Black Ducks- only a few
Mallards
Northern Shovelers
Northern Pintail
Canvasbacks- abundant
Redheads- abundant
Lesser Scaup- abundant
Buffleheads
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Green-winged Teal
Great-blue Heron
American Robin
American Coot
Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Red-winged Blackbird

On the way home, I spotted a Green-winged Teal in a flooded field off Rt. 250 south of Sandusky. Unfortunately, it is not in the video. The close-up photos I took of the Tundra and Trumpeter swans will help you identify which is which! This Sibley guide site will help you distinguish between them. How many birds on the list can you identify in this video?

Video of Watch List

Create A Wildlife-Friendly Yard (CWFY) is dedicated to saving the Monarch Butterfly, one yard at a time! We enjoy hearing from you! Press HERE to contact us.

ENDANGERED MONARCH BUTTERFLY AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE!

2015-03-06T19:22:00.001-08:00

Received a neat letter from the Center for Biological Diversity. They emphasize that Monarch butterflies are as American as apple pie, having once been found in backyards across the country. Generations of schoolchildren have reared monarchs in classrooms, watching in wonder as striped caterpillars transform into large orange-and-black adult butterflies. The monarch’s multigenerational migration is legendary — a journey of more than 2,000 miles from Mexico to Canada, undertaken by animals weighing less than a single gram. The monarch plays a unique and prominent role in the imagination of our country, especially considering it’s an insect. These creatures are ambassadors of nature in people’s gardens and symbols of summertime outdoors.

Yet these butterflies, once a familiar sight, are plummeting toward extinction due to landscape-scale threats from pesticides, development and global climate change. In their overwintering groves there were once so many monarchs that the sound of their wings was described as a rippling stream or a summer rain. Early newspaper descriptions described branches breaking under the weight of so many butterflies and depicted the masses of butterflies as “the personification of happiness.” But over the past 20 years monarchs have declined by more than 90 percent — if all monarchs from the population high in the mid-1990s were grouped onto football fields, the area they cover has been reduced from 39 fields to an area barely larger than one field.

The heart of the monarch’s range is the midwestern “Corn Belt,” where most of the world’s monarchs are born on milkweed plants growing in agricultural fields. Because of the ubiquitous spraying of Roundup on corn and soy that have been genetically modified to resist herbicides, the monarch is in bad trouble in the core of its range, where its sole host plant, milkweed, is disappearing. In a one-two punch, climate change is undermining the stable weather conditions and predictable flowering seasons that monarchs need to complete their migration. Climate change also threatens these butterflies’ overwintering habitat in the mountain forests of Mexico. Just as Joshua Tree National Park will soon no longer support Joshua trees, the International Monarch Reserve in Mexico is expected to become climatically unsuitable for monarchs by the end of the century.
Because of all this and more, the Center petitioned to protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act in August 2014. In December, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service declared the species may warrant protection.

Monarchs’ decline is a harbinger of widespread environmental change. The plummeting population of this familiar butterfly, along with the decline of many other butterflies and bees, threatens the wellbeing of people as well, because the food security of humans is dependent on the ecological services that pollinators provide. History shows a tragic record of the unexpected decline of abundant and widespread species. Complacency and false-positive assumptions about the resiliency of once-common species can have tragic consequences when timely action is not undertaken to safeguard their populations. The migration of the monarch butterfly is at risk of being lost unless humans take rapid action to protect it.

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

WILL FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE HELP MONARCH BUTTERFLY?

2015-03-02T15:11:00.004-08:00

     I received a letter from the Center for Food Safety which stated that today (Monday, 3/02/15) is the last day for public comment regarding protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now has nine months to determine whether to propose protections for the iconic orange and black butterfly, which has declined by 90 percent in the last 20 years.
     The agency’s review of the monarch was spurred by a legal petition filed in August by the Center for Food Safety, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Xerces Society and renowned monarch scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower, all of whom submitted comments today renewing their call for the agency to list the monarch butterfly as threatened. In December the Service announced a positive initial finding on the petition and determined that Endangered Species Act protection for monarch butterflies may be warranted, triggering a one-year status review.
     The petition has been resoundingly supported by monarch experts, legislators, and the public. Over 40 leading monarch scientists and ecologists and more than 200 organizations and businesses sent letters to the agency urging federal protection for the monarch in November. Support from the general public has also been widespread, with over half a million signatures delivered in person today to FWS. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) has also led a Dear Colleague letter in Congress in support of the ESA petition.
     As detailed in a new report from Center for Food Safety, the butterfly’s dramatic decline is being driven in large part by the widespread planting of genetically engineered crops in the Midwest, where most monarchs are born. The vast majority of genetically engineered crops are made to be resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, a potent killer of milkweed, the monarch caterpillar’s only food. The dramatic surge in Roundup use with Roundup Ready crops has virtually wiped out milkweed plants in Midwestern corn and soybean fields. In the past 20 years it is estimated that these once-common iconic orange and black butterflies may have lost more than 165 million acres of habitat — an area about the size of Texas — including nearly a third of their summer breeding grounds.
     The population has declined from a recorded high of approximately 1 billion butterflies in the mid-1990s to only 56.5 million butterflies this winter, the second lowest number ever recorded, after a slight rebound that is likely attributable to favorable weather during their breeding season. The overall population shows a steep and statistically significant decline of 82 percent over the past couple of decades. In addition to herbicide use with genetically engineered crops, monarchs are also threatened by global climate change, drought and heat waves, other pesticides, urban sprawl and logging on their Mexican wintering grounds.
     Monarchs need a very large population size to be resilient to threats from severe weather events and predation. Nearly half of the overwintering population in Mexico can be eaten by bird and mammal predators in any single winter; a single winter storm in 2002 killed an estimated 500 million monarchs — 8 times the size of the entire current population.
     The Fish and Wildlife Service must next issue a “12-month finding” on the monarch petition that will propose protection under the Endangered Species Act, reject protection under the Act, or add the butterfly to the candidate waiting list for protection.

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

MONARCH BUTTERFLY MAY BE LISTED AS ENDANGERED SPECIES

2015-01-05T19:47:00.001-08:00

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.

Related Posts:
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.

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES BENEFITED FROM THE "BUTTERFLY LADY"

2014-11-23T09:04:00.006-08:00

Toledo's Butterfly Lady

I ran across this article in the Toledo Blade newspaper about a woman who passed away several years ago. She was a lady who loved monarchs and other butterflies. The article was actually her obituary, but it impressed me. It was written by Mark Zaborney, the Blade's staff writer. This photo is of Doris Nettleman Stifel, as she holds up a case with female and male monarchs. At the bottom is a viceroy butterfly. She was known locally as Toledo’s Butterfly Lady, but she was recognized internationally as an expert on the migration of monarchs and who single-handedly tagged tens of thousands. The article was written shortly after she died in Swan Creek Care Center at age 89.

A man named Duke Wheeler opened the Butterfly House near Whitehouse, Ohio in 2001 as a showcase and sanctuary, and he consulted with Mrs. Stifel. She continued to train the staff and Mr. Wheeler said, “She had so much enthusiasm and knowledge. She was our guiding light for years.”

     Mrs. Stifel was a career scientist who’d aspired to be a physician, but her interest in nature dated from childhood summers spent at her family’s Evans Lake cottage in southeast Michigan’s Irish Hills. In the 1970s, she read about a Cleveland Museum of Natural History field trip on how to tag Danaus plexippus — the monarch butterfly. She bought a membership that day and within weeks was teaching field-trip participants.
     It was only in the early 1970s that researchers from the north confirmed wintering sites in Mexico for the eastern North American monarch. A decade later, monarchs that had been tagged on Kelleys Island were found in central Texas and central Mexico, establishing that monarchs fly a Great Lakes-to-Mexico migratory pattern.
     Mrs. Stifel was a dogged tagger of monarchs, roaming the Lake Erie shore with a butterfly net to catch and then affix a numbered bit of paper to a wing. In 1986, she attracted international attention with the recovery in Mexico of two monarchs tagged months earlier, and 1,500 miles away, in an eastern Lucas County clover field. Until then, no other monarch researcher was credited with more than one recovery, even though thousands were tagged every fall. In the next two years, her reputation soared as monarchs she tagged continued to be found elsewhere — in Mexico, but also Indiana and Kentucky. She raised as many as 600 monarchs a summer from eggs, tagged them, and released them.
     “The more we know about nature, the more we should know about our way of living,” Mrs. Stifel told The Blade in 1996. She recruited others to her cause, teaching them about the monarch and how to tag. She campaigned against pesticides and the frequent mowing of ditch and roadside vegetation, which she said contributed to a decline in butterfly activity.
     She also was a birder and a volunteer bald eagle nest watcher for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. She’d been a board and executive committee member of the Nature Conservancy’s Ohio chapter. Not surprisingly, she said in 1995, walking among the milkweed in search of monarch eggs, “I get a kick out of it too. School buses have gone by, and the children stick their head out the window and yell, ‘Hey, Butterfly Lady!’ ”
     She was named naturalist of the year in 1995 by the Toledo Naturalists’ Association. In 2006, a gazebo to house the monarch project at Maumee Bay State Park was named in her honor.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is dedicated to creating wildlife-friendly yards. Click HERE to make your yard wildlife-friendly by creating a Monarch Waystation. He'd enjoy hearing from you- press HERE to contact him.

A BRUSH PILE IN YOUR YARD IS FOR THE BIRDS!

2014-11-03T16:46:00.003-08:00

As a member of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), I receive their email newsletter. In the latest one, they shared an easy tip for helping birds in your yard by constructing a brush pile. It is easy to build one and it doesn't require much space, and is maintenance free. The best thing about a brush pile is it helps birds and other little critters by offering shelter from predators and all types of weather conditions.

The BSBO encourages you to build your own brush pile today! It is a great family project and it is so cool to look out the window and see birds utilizing this simple pile of sticks as a shelter.

2014-09-24T05:36:00.003-07:00

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BRING BACK THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY!
MONARCH BUTTERFLY MIGRATION- GOOGLE EARTH
BRUBAKER'S ACRES IN NW OHIO GROWS MILKWEED FOR MONARCH LOVERS
THE CICADAS ARE COMING!
VIDEO OF WINTER BIRDS IN NW PENNSYLVANIA
MONARCH WAYSTATION ATTRACTS MONARCH BUTTERFLIES TO YARD
AMAZING MONARCH BUTTERFLY SHOTS AT END OF NATURE VIDEO
NW OHIO WETLANDS (click HERE)
SCHEDEL ARBORETUM SPECIALIST RECOMMENDS WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY PLANTS (click HERE)
CREATE A MONARCH BUTTERFLY-FRIENDLY YARD (click HERE)
DR. URQUHART'S 1975 PUBLICATION TO RESEARCH ASSOCIATES UP FOR BIDS- PROCEEDS GO TO MONARCH WATCH (click HERE)
CREATING A MONARCH WAYSTATION BENEFITS MORE THAN MONARCHS! (click HERE)
MONARCH BUTTERFLY SLAUGHTERED BY ROUNDUP HERBICIDE (click HERE)
5 KEY CONCEPTS NEEDED TO CREATE A WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY YARD (click HERE)
MYSTERIOUS MONARCH BUTTERFLY MIGRATION REVEILED (click HERE)
TRUMPETER SWANS MADE DRAMATIC COMEBACK (click HERE)
FREE SE MONARCH, MILKWEED AND HOST PLANT BROCHURE (click HERE)
CUTTING ENVIRONMENTAL REGS WILL AMPLIFY BIRTHS OF IMPAIRED CHILDREN (click HERE)
SQUIRRELS- CUTE LITTLE BIRD FEEDER MARAUDERS (click HERE)
HAVE A YARDFUL OF WINTER BIRDS (click HERE)
OCTOBER MONARCH LAYING EGGS IN KEY WEST, FLORIDA (click HERE)
TAGGING MONARCH BUTTERFLIES IN NW OHIO (click HERE)
USE PALM OIL AND DESTROY RAIN FORESTS (click HERE)
MOTHS PROVIDE NIGHTTIME OF ENTERTAINMENT (click HERE)
REDESIGN THE AMERICAN LAWN WITH WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY SPACES (click HERE)
SHOREBIRDS ARE BEAUTIFUL BEACHCOMBERS ALONG LAKE ERIE (click HERE)
DON'T MAKE GOD MAD- PLANT A BUTTERFLY GARDEN (click HERE)
WONDERFUL CHILDREN'S BOOK ABOUT THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY (click HERE)

Order online

FIVE KEY CONCEPTS TO CREATE A WILDLIFE-FRIENLY YARD (click HERE)
MONARCH WAYSTATION NO. 613- KATYDID IS MASTER OF DISGUISE! (click HERE)
ENDANGERED MONARCH BUTTERFLY IS CANARY IN THE COAL MINE (click HERE)
CATERPILLARS AND THEIR HOST PLANTS (click HERE)
MONARCH CATERPILLAR KILLED BY TACHNID FLY (click HERE)
MONARCH WAYSTATION NO. 613- MONARCHS BACK IN NW OHIO! (click HERE)
RAISING MONARCH BUTTERFLIES AT WAYSTATION NO. 613 (click HERE)
MONARCH BUTTERFLY POPULATION TOOK A HIT! (click HERE)
CANADIAN PETROPHILA MOTH COMMON ALONG SANDUSKY RIVER (click HERE)
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES LAYING EGGS EARLY IN NW OHIO (click HERE)

NEW OHIO BIRD BOOKSTORE SPECIALIZES IN OHIO BIRDS (click HERE)

INTRODUCE CHILDREN BACK TO NATURE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD (Click HERE)

LEARN HOW TO CREATE A BUTTERFLY GARDEN! (Click HERE)

MONARCH WAYSTATION NO. 613 READY TO BEGIN NEW RESEARCH (Click HERE)
FIGHT NATURE DEFICIT-DISORDER- INTRODUCE YOUR KIDS TO THE OUTDOORS! (click HERE)
BALD EAGLE DOES THE BREAST STROKE (click HERE)
VICEROY BUTTERFLY NOT A MIMIC OF MONARCH (click HERE)
WONDERFUL CHILDREN'S BOOKS ON MONARCH BUTTERFLIES! (click HERE)
(A-74) MONARCH SEASON OVER AT WAYSTATION #613 (click HERE)
(A-73) MONARCH BUTTERFLIES ON EXUMA ISLAND, BAHAMAS (click HERE)
(A-72) SAVE A CHILD FROM NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER (click HERE)
(A-71) COMMUNITY WILDLIFE HABITAT IN LAKE NORMAN (click HERE)
(A-70) MY LAST MONARCH BUTTERFLY AT WAYSTATION #613 (click HERE)
(A-69) MONARCH WAYSTATIONS AMPLIFY BIODIVERSITY & COUNTER URBAN SPRAWL (click HERE)
(A-68) THE WOMAN WHO RAISES MONARCH BUTTERFLIES (click HERE)

(A-67) ENTIRE TOWN BECOMING WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY! (click HERE)
(A-66) MONARCH WAYSTATION #613- PHOTO OF MONARCH LARVA EATING OWN EGG (click HERE)
(A-65) MONARCH BUTTERFLY POPULATION DECREASE SIGNIFICANT (click HERE)
(A-64) MONARCH BUTTERFLY- IN RAPID DECLINE OR NOT? (click HERE)
(A-63) BACKYARD NATURE KITS FOR KIDS (click HERE)
(A-62) EXCITING MONARCH BUTTERFLY RESEARCH (click HERE)
(A-61) SCENES FROM MONARCH WAYSTATION NO. 613 (click HERE)

VISIT THE MONARCH MANIA MALL!

(A-60) CREATE A SIMPLE BUTTERFLY GARDEN (click HERE)
(A-59) ATTENTION DEFICIT NATURE DISORDER IN CHILDREN (click HERE)
(A-58) HORNED LARKS GALORE! (click HERE)

100 BIRD FEEDERS & FEEDER ACCESSORIES

(A-57) MONARCHS VACANT AT CREEKBEND FARM PRAIRIE IN NW OHIO (click HERE)
(A-56) MONARCHS LAYING EGGS GALORE IN NW OHIO! (click HERE)
(A-55) CEDAR WAXWING MALES FEED FEMALES (click HERE)
(A-53) MONARCH POPULATION OVERWINTERING IN MEXICO REMAINS LOW (click HERE)
(A-52) BIRDS PREFER OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS WITH MATURE TREES (click HERE)
(A-51) BACKYARD GARDENS FOR WILDLIFE (click HERE)
(A-50) BIRD SONG SURVEY- WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TWO FAVORITE BIRD SONGS? (click HERE)
(A-49) IDENTIFY BIRDS ONLINE- 6 GREAT WEBSITES (click HERE)

BUTTERFLY GARDEN SHOP!

(A-48) BENEFICIAL INSECTS SUFFER CATASTROPHIC HABITAT LOSS (click HERE)

(A-47) MONARCH WAYSTATION #613 IN NW OHIO (click HERE)
(A-46) DR. RYAN NORRIS OF MONARCH MIGRATION RESEARCH (click HERE)
(A-44) MONARCHS CROSS APPALACHIANS FROM WEST TO POPULATE N. AMERICAN EAST COAST (click HERE)
(A-43) CRITICAL TOXINS EMISSIONS OHIO EPA HEARING THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11th IN COLUMBUS, OHIO (click HERE)
(A-42) BACK TO THE WILD! SAVES THOUSANDS OF BIRDS (click HERE)
(A-41) ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS HARM OUR CHILDREN (click HERE)
(A-40) CREATE WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY SPACES IN YOUR YARD (click HERE)
(A-39) INJURED HUMMINGBIRD BABY NURTURED BACK TO GOOD HEALTH (click HERE)

(A-38) NATURE JOURNAL: CAVITY TREES PROVIDE MINI-SANCTUARIES TO WILDLIFE (click HERE)
(A-37) ARE SHREWS KILLING BIRDS VISITING YOUR FEEDERS? (click HERE)
(A-36) BALD EAGLES & WINTER BIRDS SURVIVE (click HERE) (A-35) COOPER'S HAWK KILLS AT BIRD FEEDERS (click HERE)(A-34) BIRD & BUTTERFLIES ADD EXCITEMENT TO YOUR YARD (click HERE)(A-33) BACKYARD WILDLIFE PROVIDE WINTER ENTERTAINMENT IN NW OHIO (click HERE) (A-32) BIODIVERSITY ENHANCED WITH NATURE PRESERVES (click HERE)(A-30) GOD SPEAKS ABOUT WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY YARDS (click HERE)(A-29) BUTTERFLY HUNT! SPONSORED BY ERIE METROPARKS AT STEINEN WILDLIFE AREA (click HERE)(A-28) STALKING THE LAKESIDE DAISY- OHIO'S RAREST NATIVE PLANT (click HERE)

BUTTERFLY GARDEN SHOP!

(A-27) MONARCH BUTTERFLY AWARENESS HAPPENS WITH DANA BOLIN AT MAUMEE BAY STATE PARK (click HERE)
(A-26) MONARCH WAYSTATION # 613- MONARCH OBSERVATIONS WAY DOWN IN NW OHIO FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR (click HERE)
(A-25) STARLINGS PERFORM INCREDIBLE AERODYNAMICS! (click HERE)
(A-24) HUMMINGBIRD BABY NURSED BACK TO HEALTH (click HERE)
(A-23) VIBURNUM, WISTERIA & HONEYSUCKLE HEDGE FOR WILDLIFE (click HERE)
(A-22) CREATE A MONARCH WAYSTATION IN YOUR YARD! (click HERE)
(A-21) ALDO LEOPOLD: A LEGENDARY CONSERVATIONIST (click HERE)
(A-20) BIODIVERSITY FLOURISHES IN MY WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY YARD (click HERE)
(A-19) A VIDEO FOR RED-SHOULDERED HAWK LOVERS (click HERE)
(A-18) SHARP-SHINNED HAWK DEVOURS STARLING (click HERE)
(A-17) WINNERS OF MYSTERY BIRD CONTEST NO. 2! (click HERE)
(A-16) VIDEO ON BASICS IN CREATING A WILDLIFE FRIENDLY YARD. IF YOU BUILD IT...THEY WILL COME! (click HERE)
(A-15) HAWK, KITE & EAGLE CLOSE-UPS (click HERE)
(A-14) MYSTERY BIRD CONTEST NO. 2- WHAT IS IT? (click HERE)
(A-13) ANNE MURRAY SINGS ABOUT SNOW BUNTINGS! (click HERE)
(A-12) PEREGRINE FALCON ATTACKS RED-TAIL HAWK VIDEO (click HERE)

(A-11) REDPOLL FRENZY! (click HERE)
(A-10) WINNERS OF THE MYSTERY BIRD CONTEST (click HERE)
(A-9) SQUIRRLES- A PAIN IN THE ARSE OR ENTERTAINING CLOWNS? YOU DECIDE (click HERE)
(A-8) MYSTERY BIRD CONTEST- WHAT IS IT? (click HERE)
(A-6) NATURE NOTE 11/2/03- TRUMPETER SWANS! (click HERE)
(A-4) "Fluctuations in the numbers of the Monarch Butterfly in North America" by F.A. Urquhart, Professor, Un. of Toronto, Canada, Dezember 1970 (click HERE)
(A-3) IOWA COUPLE CREATED THE ULTIMATE IN MONARCH WAYSTATIONS (click HERE)
(A-2) HAPPENINGS AT WAYSTATION NO. 613 (AN ONGOING DIARY) (click HERE)
(A-1) HELP RESEARCHERS STUDY OE PARASITE HARMING MONARCH BUTTERFLIES-letter from Sonia Altizer (click HERE)
B) GOING NATIVE: URBAN LANDSCAPING FOR WILDLIFE WITH NATIVE PLANTS (click HERE)
(C) CLOCKS, CRYPTOCHROMES & MONARCH MIGRATIONS (click HERE)
(D) WATCH NOVA'S "THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF THE BUTTERFLIES...HERE IT IS! (click HERE)
(E) RELAX...AND WATCH THIS SLIDE SHOW WITH MUSIC...RELAX...AND APPRECIATE NATURE (click HERE)
(F) PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS IS FUN! LOVE THE MUSIC TOO (click HERE)
(G) CREATE A WILDLIFE FRIENDLY YARD & HAPPENINGS AT MONARCH WAYSTATION NO. 613 (click HERE)

SIGNS OF HOPE FOR THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY!

2014-09-24T05:26:00.005-07:00

According to ABC News, there are tentative signs of hope for the mass migration of monarch butterflies, whose numbers dropped to their lowest level ever last year. The first wave of Monarchs to arrive in Mexico's nature reserves have arrived earlier than usual this year, according to Luis Fueyo, who keeps tabs of them there. He said it's too early to say whether butterfly numbers will rebound this year from a series of sharp drops, but noted "this premature presence could be the prelude to an increase in the migration."
Let's hope so! He said the first butterflies have been sighted in the northern border state of Coahuila. Most normally arrive in October from the United States and Canada. The experts will wait to make a definitive count after the butterflies have settled in completely, something that usually occurs by December.

In February, Mexico, the United States and Canada agreed to form working groups on the conservation of Monarch butterflies, after steep and steady declines in the previous three years. Last year, the black-and-orange butterflies covered only 1.65 acres (0.67 hectares) in the pine and fir forests west of Mexico City, down from more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) at their recorded peak in 1996. Because they clump together by the thousands in trees, counting individuals in near impossible; instead they are counted by the area they cover.

The head of international affairs for Mexico's Environment Department, Enrique Lendo Fuentes, said the three nations "will probably have a joint plan of action before the end of November." The plan, experts said, would be to create a corridor of milkweed-friendly areas along the entire three-nation migratory route. That is important, because the butterfly has to reproduce along the way; the same generation doesn't make the entire trip.

SWAMP MILKWEED PLANTED IN MY YARD

For its part, Mexico has already taken a number of steps, like setting up a network of observers to track monarchs from the time they enter the country, to try to identify milkweed patches that the butterflies might use along their way to their mountain wintering grounds. Activists have launched a web site where Mexicans can report and share sightings.

Monarchs lay eggs on milkweed leaves that hatch into caterpillars, morph into chrysalises and transform into butterflies. The butterfly's dramatic decline is being driven by widespread planting of genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant crops that tend to drastically decrease the amount of milkweed available.

Mexican writer and environmentalist Homero Aridjis, said the butterflies face a number of challenges, including climate change and illegal logging in Mexico, in addition to the loss of habitat in the United States.

"We are alarmed, because we don't yet what is going to happen" with butterflies, whose migration — but not the existence of the species — is consider at risk of disappearing.

"We don't know what size population is going to come" to Mexico, "so we are a little alarmed."
I hope it's a good year, for I have collected many Monarch eggs off the Common and Swamp Milkweed plants planted in my small, suburban yard in NW Ohio. I released 115 Monarch butterflies this year! Last year, not one egg was laid on them. I was so discouraged by last year's dismal results, that I didn't order Monarch tags from Monarch Watch, so the 115 releases weren't recorded.

Related Posts:
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.

Contact CWFY- We'd enjoy hearing from you!

2014-09-24T04:14:00.004-07:00

foxyform

EARTHJUSTICE BATTLES UNREGULATEDD TOXIC CHEMICALS

2014-03-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Toxics: Fighting for Healthy Communities
An Earthjustice Teleconference

More than 80,000 chemicals are currently approved for use in the United States, and over 15,000 are "secret." The vast majority have never been tested for safety. The U.S. often allows industry free rein while communities are left in the dark about what is in their water, air, and household products.

Earthjustice is fighting at the national and regional level to protect human health from pollutants and toxic chemicals. We fight for healthy communities by strengthening standards and protections and holding polluters accountable.

Join Earthjustice Managing Attorney Marianne Engelman Lado for a teleconference on how we’re working to fix a broken toxics regulatory system and to lift the secrecy around chemical safety.

Here are the Teleconference details: It will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2014 (11:30 AM- 12:30 PM Pacific Time) Email: events@earthjustice.org

ALBERT EINSTEIN AGAINST HONEYBEE-KILLING PESTICIDES

2014-02-23T23:45:00.003-08:00

I received a rather depressing memo from the Organic Consumers Association. On February 7, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) OK'd another toxic chemical into the mainstream of pesticides. It is one toxic to honeybees and the EPA listened to the unscientific, but rich, corporations that will reap enormous profits from this pesticide being sprayed all over America ad the world. Well, maybe not Europe, for the EU outlaws many such toxic chemicals from use inside their borders.

OUR PICK!

     The sad part is that the EPA neglected to listen to the scientific evidence and to the objections of environmentalists, scientists, parents and other citizens in our mutating democratic society. Yes, mutating, i.e., transforming into a plutocracy that responds to the wishes of the rich and powerful and not to the rest of us. Even Albert Einstein must be fuming from his grave, for he once said, "If the bee disappears from the earth, man would have no more than four years to live."     Fortunately, some of the people we elected and sent to Washington do, indeed, fight for us. The Saving America’s Pollinators Act (H.R. 2692) has been introduced, but is faltering in committee, where it was sent in August 2013. So, the pollinators, along with our children, may fall prey to the latest bee-killing pesticide that successfully was registered by the EPA...cyantraniliprole. It will be contaminating a host of items lining our grocery story shelves, including milk, leafy vegetables, almonds, berries and onions.
     So, thank you EPA! Thanks for joining Dupont and Sygenta and a host of other pesticides-for-profit industries in ignoring a host of intellectual and compassionate American citizens, including Albert Einstein. Last year you approved
the pesticide sulfoxaflor, this year, cyantraniliprole. Hey, I have an idea...let's reintroduce DDT in 2015!
     By the way, hat's off to Oregon and California, for they
introduced state bills to restrict the use of bee-killing pesticides. I think it's time for Congress to step up and support a national plan to protect the bees. Tell Your Representative: Please Support the Saving America’s Pollinators Act (H.R. 2692).
     I wish Dupont and Sygenta were aware of the inter- dependence of plants and animals and that the bee and other pollinators actually make this dependence successfully work in nature. Bees are the most important pollinator. I guess they would know what they're doing after doing it for over one hundred million years.
     I wonder what the effect of these "super-pesticides" will be on other unknown pollinators, such as moths and bats, which pollinate plants at night? Most people don't realize that bats pollinate over three hundred different kinds of of fruit and cacti. Oh, heck...let's take 'em all out!
     My father maintained a couple bee hives in his retirement, and was fascinated by them. He studied and observed how his honeybee colony was organized into queen bee, workers and drones. He would tell us interesting facts about his bees, such as they had five eyes five eyes to aid in navigation utilizing light, color and direction. I didn't know the worker bees have two stomachs, one for eating and one for storing the nectar they gather.
     I'll be thinking of Dupont, Sygenta and the EPA this summer as I observe honeybees visit my garden and fill the tiny pouches on their back legs with pollen, then zoom back to the hive with their bounty, where the processing bees eventually insert nectar into a honeycomb cell. I bet few in the EPA know that an enzyme is also inserted that allows it all to ripen and dry into honey for them, and humans, to eat.
     With urban sprawl ruining prime habit for bees and other animals, wildflowers vanishing from the new "manscapes", and farmers fumigating their crops with bee-killing pesticides, things look pretty dismal for the honeybee...please contact your representative, today and make him/her aware of your concerns.