Originally posted on Michael Runs the Gamut on December 4, 2013
[Comments from 2021 are in italics, enclosed in square brackets, like this one.]
The book I’ve been posting about for the past couple of weeks, If a Butterfly, follows the migration of one particular Monarch butterfly as it tries to fly from Canada to Mexico. The journey my Monarch takes is no more unusual than the ones undertaken by millions of these beautiful delicate creatures every year, but their numbers have been steadily dwindling every year.
Yesterday (12-3-2013), the Washington Post had an interview with Lincoln Brower about the current status of the overwintering population of the Monarch butterflies in Mexico. Dr. Brower, one of the world’s top experts on Monarchs, expressed some doubt about the survival of the species. Click on this link to read the interview.
There are things you can do to help. If you’re anywhere close to the migration path (and almost everyone in the U.S. is), plant a butterfly waystation (a garden for butterflies) in your yard, and avoid pesticides.
There’s some information about butterfly waystations, and other great ideas, at Monarch Watch, an organization run by Dr. Chip Taylor, another of the foremost experts on Monarchs (and incidentally, a character in If a Butterfly).
Please check Monarch Watch out.
https://monarchwatch.org/index.html
Michael
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