No Kings... And Way Fewer Monarchs

We in America, for the most part, honor our history of separating from a king who wanted to rule us from across a wide ocean. Our ancestors came here to be free of such kinds of governance. Just because your dad was a king didn't make you qualified to be one yourself. We all recognize that our children are not carbon copies of their parents in every other way, but somehow there are still places where who your parents were determines your right - or not - to tell others what to do. For the most part, we elect the people we most wish to write our laws and lead our country. Millions of us were out demonstrating all over this country last Saturday, showing our displeasure over somebody who would do their best to declare himself King - or autocrat - of this country. With the backing of a very narrow segment of the population, he is doing his worst to change how this country runs, and who it does it for. 

 

 There is another change in monarchs in this country, and it is becoming just as worrysome, a visible symptom of a much larger problem we have caused. Latest counts show the population of monarch butterflies is down over 22% in the last few years. All kinds of reasons are looked at. Pesticides get part of the blame. Extending agriculture over wide swaths of the country to eliminate habitat and food sources is another problem. Perhaps the most telling is climate change. 

In the last few years, I've seen plenty of milkweed blooming. We have deliberately planted, or allowed self-planted milkweed plants to grow where they would in the yard in small-town Minnnesota. They infested the gardens, the grassy patches which then protected them from being mowed for the full season... and the next... and next.  Butterfly bushes (asclepias) mostly left the formal garden areas and sprung up in the lawn, so mowing detoured around them, allowing their growth and spread. Neighbors may have complained, but while grass height lowered, individual plants remained. We have been trying to provide for the ones that do finally reach here.

The problem these days is the timing. The above photo shows the ideal. Milkweed blossoms are in full bloom, each filled with nectar for the curled up proboscis to extend into and drink from. Unfortunately, this photo is nearly a dozen years old. These days the flowers are done blooming, and seed pods forming, before the first monarch appears.

Sure, the plant has been pollinated by other insects, its seeds will develop and be fertile. Grandchildren will be invited over to POOF! them into the winds to be carried wherever then can go in hopes of finding the right spot of soil. But no monarchs will have been fed here.

With luck they might have found another plant to sustain them for a bit, like this liatris.

Or they may have landed on a late season balloon flower, long past offering anything but a perch.

 They might have even laid eggs which hatched.... though this picture is several years old. These lucky monarch caterpillars found plenty of tender leaves to munch on while they grew.

Some find food but which comes with competitors for the supply.

 I haven't seen a caterpillar for about ten years now. They are hard to miss! Even the smallest of us can usually spot them even hiding in a bunch of similar colors.

The last time I watched a green chrysallis turn clear, split, and allow a new butterfly to spread its wings was so long ago I didn't even have a digital camera yet, nevermind being on #4 in my series of them. Somehow cameras just don't work at capturing what is no longer around to find. And while I do oppose having any kings over us in this country, I do hope we don't soon loose sight of our spectacular flying monarchs.