Unfortunate Winter Update on our Monarchs

Our migration Monarch are hardly out the woods, so to speak.  Although this year's wintering Monarch count in January showed great improvement over recent years, winter has taken an ugly turn. A late season snow has fallen in Mexico's Butterfly Reserves.  

Weather disruptions brought on by climate change, both winter storms and off-season droughts, have contributed to low population numbers.  Add a shortage of Milkweed for host plants, and the continued bombardment of herbicides and pesticides, and you will see our conservation work is far from done.

Read the full news release from MEXICONEWSDAILY.COM below:

Snow and cold takes toll on monarchs

As many as 11 million butterflies might have died

Mexico News Daily | Saturday, March 12, 2016

The beleaguered monarch butterflies can’t get a break. The numbers that arrived in Mexico for the winter were up, but cold weather has killed as many as 11 million in the last few days, according to one report.

Rosario spokesman Homero Gómez González was able to see the monarch deaths in a positive light. He pointed out that the majority had survived despite snowfall levels that hadn’t been seen in 40 years.At the El Rosario sanctuary in Michoacán, where winter storm No. 11 brought 35 centimeters of snow and temperatures that plunged to -12 C, they say about 1.5 million butterflies have died.

However, the National Protected Areas Commission said its inspection of the monarchs’ reserve revealed that the butterflies had resisted the effects of cold, snow and wind.

Conflicting reports should not be surprising considering the conflicts that evidently exist between the local stewards of the butterfly reserve and government agencies.

Gómez González said government representatives show up to have their photos taken and to justify their salaries, “yet in reality we receive nothing in the way of support. Proof of that is that we ourselves have reforested the areas [affected by logging].”

For government functionaries, he charged, “it’s pure bureaucracy.”

The butterflies, which migrate annually from the United States and Canada, were up in numbers this year after steady declines for several years. Numbers are estimated by the area they cover, which this year is about four hectares, up from 1.13 last year.

But two decades ago they covered as much as 20 hectares.

This year’s coverage of four hectares has been estimated to represent at least 100 million butterflies. Loss of habitat in the U.S. and Mexico has been blamed for the declining population.

Source: El Universal (sp)

- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/snow-and-cold-takes-toll-on-monarchs/#sthash.LBMkr6Tz.dpuf

2016 Monarch Update

Let's all take a moment for some good news!  

Too often environmental work is all gloom and doom.  Today we thank everyone for all the hard work, milkweed planting, caterpillar rearing, fall tagging and public education efforts on behalf of America's best known butterfly, the Monarch. A little congratulations is due.

Monarch in Richland County, Ohio

When it was first reported in the 1990's that the migratory Monarch was headed for trouble, we hardly believed it.  After all, they were so... common.  Sixteen years later, there was an entire summer in which I did not see one Monarch. Didn't we all wish we had taken more photos of them when they were abundant?

We stopped taking them for granted. In fact, many organizations rallied around the Monarch, calling for change.

Monarchs headed to Mexico roost at Whiskey Island, Cleveland Ohio.
Photo by Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr.

Keeping tabs on a butterfly population is difficult work. Winter is the best time to assess Monarch populations,  The winged ones gather in the Oyamel firs in the mountains of Mexico, where the entire migratory population can be counted as they rest.

This year's news from Mexico is finally good.  The numbers of wintering monarchs is at a five year high. But one good year means very little in insect biology.  We can't afford to stop now,  the job is not done.

A full report can be found at http://monarchjointventure.org/news-events/news/population-numbers-for-eastern-monarchs-increase-during-2015-16-season.

These striped caterpillars are the larva form of the Monarch butterfly.

Monarch conservation is rather complicated. They have four distinct life stages ( egg, larva, pupa, adult) and each stage has its own hazards. They are impacted by insecticides and herbicides.  Lawn care chemicals and mosquito sprays also put the smack down on them. They are subject to winds and weather.  These critters cross two international borders, in spite of walls and guards.

The effort across the borders to protect wintering habitats, and plant milkweed has certainly been key to their rebound.

A native bee pollinates this Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa.

Our efforts on behalf of the Monarch are likely to pay off for all pollinators. Increasing milkweed and other native plants along roadside corridors and in natural areas could benefit all types of insects. As we continue to improve conditions for Monarchs, let's also remember to limit the other activities which endanger them.  Lawn chemicals and excess mowing have become a way of life for suburbanites, but they are not compatible with our natural world.  We have seen the true cost.

We need to turn the pages of time back only to the fifties, where ditches were filled with flowers and milkweed reigned.  Children still played outside and bees buzzed as the butterflies bounced from flower to flower.  We chased lightening bugs at night.

Technology is great, but we need to decide if our chemically enhanced lifestyle is compatible to the health of the world in which we need to live.  The insects have been trying to tell us something.

Huffman Prairie at Wright's Flying Field in Dayton

August is an ideal time to visit Ohio's prairies.  The tall grass prairie remnants of Ohio constitute less than 1% of our original prairie.  Most of those lands were tilled long ago for agricultural purposes. This blogger has covered many of these historic sites in the past, including the well-known cemetery prairies- Smith and Bigelow, and the Daughmer Savanna Prairie posts which are here and here.

Huffman Prairie restoration

While visiting Dayton, Ohio for the Midwest Native Plant Conference I was invited out to see Huffman Prairie. It is situated squarely on the grounds of the Dayton Heritage National Historic Park at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The prairie is managed by the Five Rivers Metroparks, one of Ohio's excellent park systems. It is open to the public. You too, can take a self-guided tour and enjoy the new interpretive signage along the trail.

Historic plaque

You'll find an historic plaque on the site noting that The Wright Brothers flew and perfected the world's first practical airplane at this location in 1904 and 1905. It was also the location of the Wright School of Aviation where many of the world's first pilots were trained.

Our group gathered in front of the Wright's hanger.

Our prairie tour included some knowledgeable guides, including Jim McCormac of Ohio Div. of Wildlife, Dave Nolin and Beth Burke from Five Rivers Metroparks and my traveling companion and outdoors man extraordinaire, Jim Davidson.

The timing of my first visit was fortuitous, as a new book has been released documenting the lives of the Wright Brothers.  Orville and Wilbur Wright were interesting characters and David McCullough's enthusiasm for the story was obvious during several recent media interviews.  I am now looking forward to reading the book!

Ohio native plant community

But we were here to study the plants, not the history. This prairie holds an abundance of the plants one would have found in Ohio's original prairie plant community.  Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea and Blazing-star, Liatris spicata are the major players in this pink and purple pallet set in a sea of grass.

Dragonhunter lurks in the grass

Prairies are magnets for interesting insects hiding among these forbs and grasses.  Unlike the average manicured lawn, prairies are teaming with biodiversity.  The many species of prairie plants lend themselves to even more species of animals, including birds beetles, butterflies and this dragonfly- the Dragonhunter, Hagenius brevistylus.  One of the largest, fastest and most fierce of the dragonflies, the Dragonhunter is known for feeding upon- other dragonflies!  A key to its identity is the great big body and the little-bitty head.

The increasingly rare Monarch butterfly 

We also saw several Monarch butterflies flitting about the flowers and paying particular interest to the milkweed growing within the prairie. We are fortunate to have this 112 acre bio-reserve to provide needed habitat for our best known migratory butterfly.  Monarchs seem to be having a little better recruitment this year, but we won't know the whole story until they gather in mass in Mexico this winter.  It is heartening to know many people are interested in the welfare of this iconic insect and milkweed is gaining a new popularity amongst gardeners and habitat managers alike.

Go Monarchs and go to Huffman Prairie!  There is plenty of biodiversity to see.

What's the Buzz...

Forgive the obvious title. It seems a forgone conclusion to name pollinator programs for the bee.  But bees are not the only pollinators, and many of the sexual surrogates for plant reproduction don't buzz at all.  Take moths and birds for an example.  

If you haven't thought much about this before, I hope you will join us this Saturday at 7:00 pm at Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield, Ohio.  Prepare to have your mind blown.

It is my honor to be the keynote for this first (annual) event, so come out and help me kick this thing off right!  I have just put the final touches on my program and I am happy to share some new information (at least it was news to me!)  I am no neophyte regarding pollinators, so prepare to be edu-tained!  We will talk about all kinds of pollinators!

Our native bees hold a special spot in my heart and these work horses haven't been given the credit they deserve.  They definitely need an Emmy for "Best Supporting Actor."

Sure honeybees are great, but we have a lot of interesting things with wings getting in on the pollination act.

Moths and butterflies are also pollinators.  There is a direct correlation between botanic diversity and pollinator diversity.  Don't believe me?  Ask Darwin.  He suggested the basis of this a very long time ago.

So why all the interest in pollinators?  You might have heard of a little thing called Colony Collapse Disorder.  This is has had a major impact on bees, bee-keepers and farmers all across the country. But it is not only the Honeybees that are having a rough time of it.

Come on out and will discuss some very cool local pollinators and learn more about their preservation and protection.  

Love to mulch your landscape with wood chips?  We'll discuss why that could be bad news for your bees. 

Hope to see you there!

VOTE for Monarchs

America is a great nation of democracy.  Since election day is on everyone's mind, it is a good time to stress the importance of voting.  You might think it odd that I would promote having a Monarch.  After all the jib-jabs back and forth, the ultimate insult to a President is to suggest he acts like a monarch or king.  Opposing politicians did it with Kennedy, the Bushs' reign and now Obama.  It cuts both ways.  But we do have one Monarch we should all vote for: Danaus plexippus, the Monarch butterfly. 

Danaus plexippus, Monarch   photo C. Harner

Once the reigning butterfly of America, the most recognized lepidoptera to take to the sky, our Monarch is in a tragic decline.  I wrote about it here  and gave a presentation on the midwest migratory Monarchs at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Conservation Symposium about a month ago.  The fact remains: Monarchs are in serious trouble.  

Monarch lifestages, by artist Ann Geise

Monarchs are members of the subfamily Danaus or Milkweed butterflies.  All of these butterflies use a milkweed as a host plant.  The caterpillars ingest toxins from the milkweed- cardiac glycosides. The main study on the host plant and the butterflies' toxicity were conducted by "Browers barfing Blue Jays." I had often wondered what scientist had the job of watching birds vomit and now I know: meet Dr. Lincoln Brower.

Milkweed authority Roger Troutman and Monarch expert Dr. Lincoln Brower

 It turns out, Dr. Brower and I have a mutual friend, Roger Troutman.  Not only an avid birder and excellent naturalist, Roger is an authority on Asclepias, or Milkweed.  Years ago he worked with Dr. Brower when they visited many milkweed patches in Florida and studied the toxicity of the various milkweeds.

Roger and I recently travelled to Indiana to attend the INPAWS (Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society) annual conference.  Dr. Brower was a Keynote speaker, who entertained and informed the audience on the current standing of the declining Monarchs. We learned there is currently an effort to list Monarchs as a "Threatened" species.

To VOTE click : http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/

PLEASE take the time to click on the link above  to add your name to the petition. We simply should not allow the extinction of the greatest gateway insect for budding entomologists. The Monarch is an iconic species of America, you might even say it is the Bald Eagle of the insect world.

We need to pay attention to this dramatic decline, before Monarchs are completely wiped out.  Their population has fallen by 90% in just the last four years!  Scientists believe the problem used to be deforestation in Mexico, but now and even bigger issue is the combination of herbicides and pesticides being used in our farm fields.  It is time to realize the butterflies are bio indicators and Monarchs have become the "Canary in the cornfields."

"Weedpicker" Cheryl Harner and Dr. Lincoln Brower

Think about your yard and neighborhood.  Did you see Monarch butterflies this summer? How about other beneficial pollinators, were they AWOL?  Maybe it is time to plant some Milkweed and nectar plants in your yard. While you are thinking about helping us create a better world for those buzzing and flapping creatures who make our lives possible, remember pesticides kill ALL insects! Pesticides are non-selective; everybody dies!  Life is all about the food chain, kids.  If the insects don't eat, none of the higher life forms eat either.  This is a wonderfully complicated world in which we live.

If you want to know more about butterflies, host plants and nectar sources, please pick up a copy of Jeffrey Belth's book, Butterflies of Indiana.  His excellent book provides the information Ohioans need as well. If you would like to meet Jeff in person, join us at the January 17th, 2015 Ohio Lepidopterist meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

Re-thinking your lawn

 Today I had a marvelous time with the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs at their annual meeting, which was held at Mohican State Park Lodge. They asked for a program on attracting  critters into one's yard with native plants.  That happens to be my favorite topic!

 The program ended up entitled Native Plants Add Drama.  Believe me, they do!  I can hang out all day taking pictures and following the birds, butterflies and mammalian wildlife around in my yard.  It is an ongoing circus, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This saying from "The Wild Ones" tells the tale best.  IF you don't have action in your yard, you need to re-think your plants and your chemical usage. One of my most requested programs is Butterflies as Bioindicators.  If your yard is healthy and chemical free you should be seeing butterflies.

Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor philenor

 The latest hatch in my yard was Pipevine Swallowtails. But before one can have these lovely insects, you must have their host plant. I believe my pipevine is Aristolochia tomentosa. Good thing I planted one several years ago and it now festoons the side of my barn.

Prickly-ash, Zanthoxylum americanum in seed

 Another unusual plant on my property is the Prickly-ash.  It occurs naturally along the edge of my woodlot, and is the host plant for Giant Swallowtails.  Imagine my surprise when I realized there was already a well established population right in my own yard!

Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphones

These seven inch beauties have two broods each year.  The early spring brood loves to nectar on my Azalea plants, and the second brood heads for the Purple Coneflowers. I also had a Giant nectaring on a Common Milkweed a week or so ago.  It is important to cultivate milkweed for Monarchs, but other species of butterflies and bees will use milkweed too.  It is a staple in my home's habitat and vital to Monarch conservation.

Thursday Aug. 21th at 7:00 pm I will be previewing a program Midwestern Monarchs at the Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield.  I will also give this program for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Conservation Symposium- The Point of No Return- on Sept. 5th.  They have a stellar line up for that event, and I encourage you to go the notice in the side panel of this blog, and follow the link to register.  There is a lot of information on Monarchs that has slipped past the general public and I hope you will join me for one of these programs.

"Bee" aware!

Natural catastrophes make for wondrous P.R.  

If ever a family of insects needed a public relations coup, it is our humble native bees. Not until the imported European bees which do much of the heavy-lifting, pollination wise, were dying in a "colony collapse" did native bees come to our attention.

 Bumblebees are just one of our native American pollinators.

Suddenly, the agronomists and scientists looked around and realized we would be in deep doo-doo without our pollinators!  In fact, we might only be in grass-fed animal doo-doo, since most grasses are wind pollinated.  But forget about all those fruits, vegetables and nuts we so enjoy, if there were no bees.

With the fate of European honeybees on the line, suddenly our native bees were getting a lot more respect.  Some scientists even noted we have not cataloged all the species of native bees right here in the U.S.!  We have been taking their work for granted much too long.  In fact, we now know that native bees keep honey bees more productive (with competition) and are picking up some of the slack for those manicured, cultivated, pedigreed bees.

Specific native bees have cultivated relationships with certain spring ephemerals.

This year, while we admire the spring flora, let's pay particular attention to the native fauna which pollinates it.  In past years I have noted tiny, cold-weather bees in their extra-fuzzy jackets, working the Spring Beauties and Trout Lilies.

These one-week-wonders seem to disappear after the first flush of spring.  As I recently learned at the Ohio Natural History Conference, studies show they DO disappear after a few weeks of work!  These insects must have some fascinating life cycle which permits them to be sustained with only a short-cycle of nectar gathering.

Nature has wondrous ways, if only we choose to see.

Butterflies (like this Monarch) also provide pollination services. 

If we are to discover the mysteries of collapsing colonies of honey bees and the stunning decline of  the migrating populations of Monarchs, perhaps we need to look no further than ourselves.  As we continue to "weed-and-feed" our lawn, "powder" (sounds much nicer than "poison") our roses and "dust" our vegetables, should we really be surprised that we are killing the very insects that attend to our plants needs?

It may be the greatest of human arrogance to believe we can continue to poison the species around us, without impacting our own health.


Here is an interesting follow-up story on pesticides and fauna, if you are so inclined.
http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/tag/steve-zack/

Be A Witness

Nature lovers are experiencing a near winter-Nirvana of  Snowy Owls sightings this year.  The good news has been spread far and wide --and by all means go forth-- and sear the memory of Snowy Owls into your brain.  Commit it to your memory, as these events may not happen again for another 70 years or so.  Or maybe never.

The Snowy Owl's winter visit to Ohio

Most years, Snowy Owl sightings in Ohio are rare. This winter has produced numbers for the record books.

Summer scene on Lake Erie sand bar.

If you admire birds and nature in other forms, please, go forth and fill your heart and soul with nature. Then prepare to be a witness.  Spend this summer luxuriating in those common sightings:  gulls on Lake Erie, great egrets fishing in clean waters.  Our lives are filled with everyday miracles that we take for granted.

Yellow Trout-lily blossoming in mid-Ohio woodland 

Plan your botanical field trips, whether they be across the state, across the county or as near as your local park or nature preserve.  Enjoy the dew sparkling on the spring ephemerals, for like the dew, flowers are soon here- and then gone. If you are one of the fortunate few who have seen the native orchids in southern Ohio, or the rarest of "daisies" in all our land: burn it into your memory bank. 

Monarch Butterfly 

For we know not when the time will come that our common and under appreciated forms of nature will no longer be common.  For years, we considered the monarch as child's play: easily seen and known to all.  But now, we lovers of lepidoptera fear the end of the migrating Monarchs. Last I read, the full number of the wintering flight in Mexico could be contained on a few acres.

If theirs is to be the fate of the passenger pigeons, we will be the ones called upon to retell the glory days of our childhood, when Monarchs were found in every field and ditch.

People in Beijing, China gather to see "sunrise" displayed on a jumbo tron screen.
See this photo and article at World Time

In a world where air pollution is so bad, sunrises are now broadcast on screens, toxic blue-green algae threatens Ohio waters and drought conditions are about to change agriculture as we know it in the U.S.A.  It is not just polar bears (and snowy owls) that will be impacted in the coming years.

John Muir spoke of a "love of wild nature in everybody."  E.O.Wilson similarly tells of "biophylia" or the human tendency to affiliate with life and natural processes.  If you have read this far, certainly you can relate. 

Those of us who love nature, may be called as witnesses.  There are children growing up in a world where they can no longer see a sunrise.  Children in Appalachian Ohio see their streams in shades of orange- the effect of mining run-off.  It is not just West Virginia with environmental problems.

If you love nature, it is time to "own it." Take time to admire natural beauty in whatever form you choose, but also make time to speak out, write a letter, or sign a petition.  Ultimately, if those of us who love nature do not speak up now, we will be called as witnesses to our children and grandchildren. 

This was once a beautiful world, with clear waters, blue skies and butterflies...

  

Hiking the A.T.

One might have noticed I have been missing from the blog-o-sphere for about a week.  It was a week of traveling and camping with my daughter throughout West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland.  The highlights of the trip seem endless. Several dreams were attained, starting with a day hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Sign post for the A.T. located within the city limits of Harper's Ferry Virginia.

Smack-dab in the middle of the Appalachian Trail is Harper's Ferry.  It was once a sleepy little Virginian town, known as the crossing point where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet.  It was a small city of bustling commerce and a little-bitty arsenal. (This portion of Virginia became a West Virginia, just before the Civil War.)

Your blogger, Cheryl Harner and daughter, Michelle Goodman standing in front of Harper's Ferry's most famous building.

 A feller named John Brown thought this town would make a good place to stage a slavery insurrection. He chose this very building to make his stand.  The history books can tell you the rest of the story, but I encourage you to visit and decide for yourself if ole bearded-John was just a crazy-coot or a principled man who thought it past time to make a real stand for justice.

The Appalachian Trail's most hospitable stretch.

Just across the river the Appalachian Trail is wide and hospitable, even accommodating bicycles in this location.  We hiked along in the mid morning, taking a side trip up the famous Maryland Heights trail.

The Maryland Heights portion of the hike is not for sissies.  It was steep and rocky terrain at the top and had been key as a strategic Civil War site.

The view of Harper's Ferry from Maryland Heights

The view is breath-taking. Of course, the hike to the top already had me winded.  It is no surprise that whomever held the "Heights" was strategically in control of the city. 

If you have not visited Harper's Ferry, I recommend you make plans to go. It is a well-run National Park.

School House Battle Field, Harper's Ferry, VA

 The surrounding farm lands are scenic and also available to hikers and day trippers.  My only regret of this visit was that we did not allow more time for discovery.

Monarch Caterpillar shares its milkweed with milkweed bugs.

Of course, we checked the local milkweed on the field edges and were happy to find some friends, in the form of caterpillars, in Virginia.

My favorite fall flower quickly became Elm-leaved Goldenrod, Solidago ulmifolia.  We often found it growing in the shade of campgrounds and woodlots.  The sprays of florets reaching for the sun took on the look of woodland fire-crackers. The effect was altogether charming.

Hope you are also enjoying  fall, and taking a bit of time to discover the different Goldenrods in your area.

Doing good pays off, big.

Meadowbrook Marsh in Marblehead, Ohio was the Carbon Offset Bird Project for the 2011 Midwest Birding Symposium.  Birders from all across the country joined the Ohio Ornithological Society's efforts to purchase this land, which kicked off a very good thing. 

The wetland at Meadowbrook Marsh was not protected prior to MBS 2011.

Thanks to your support, we engaged  Rob Krain of  Black Swamp Land Conservancy in the effort. BSLC worked long and hard to complete the deal for this property and to put a conservation easement in place.

Now the watery viewscape of Meadowbrook Park, a significant birding area, is protected from future development.  This will always be a place for nature.

Q: What could be better than saving a wetland for protecting birds?  

A:  Protecting an area that "works" for us by storing carbon.

Recently, a study cited in the Smithsonian says wetlands are extremely efficient for storing carbon.

The prairie/meadow in the park also provides excellent habitat for insects and small passerines.  The woods which lines the park provides food and safety for all manner of wildlife.  Handicap accessible trails make outings easy-going, even for those in a wheelchair.  This biologically diverse property is good for birds and good for people at the same time!

A sight -for-sore-eyes, a singular Monarch butterfly

 A few days ago I photographed a male Monarch butterfly nectaring on Swamp Milkweed in the meadow.  The Monarchs have been M.I.A. this year, and much has been written of the impact farm chemicals are having on this iconic species of insect. Every school child knows of the Monarch and their annual migration to Mexico.  However, their numbers are diminishing so rapidly, they have become a species of grave concern.

Meadowbrook provides a chemical-free place for butterflies to nectar and breed, for the next generation.

Fall at Meadowbrook Marsh.

 As fall colors the trees with golden hues, those Monarchs will arise from Meadowbrook's meadow and fly south to their wintering grounds in Mexico.  Just in time to bid them farewell, will be the birders of Midwest Birding Symposium.

Once again, the viewing platform at Meadowbrook will be filled with eco-minded birders, admiring the fall shorebirds and warblers as they too, fly away south.  Please stop by Meadowbrook and witness the good work birders started by instituting our very first ever Carbon Offset Bird Project.

Go here for a Meadowbrook map and location guide provided by Kenn Kaufman and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory.

Please, join our efforts at MBS 2013 to increase the carbon holding capacity of another birding area, to benefit both birds and mankind.  If you like being part of a good thing, then print off the form below, and send it in. Or better yet, bring it by the Carbon Offset booth in the main auditorium during MBS and see the nice people working there.

This year's project is at the Boss Unit at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. You will feel good when you write that check, and help us help the birds.  Thank you.  (Click on the form below to enlarge and print.)