Monarch Butterflies

One of Many Species that Benefit from Organic Farming!

 Butterflies are, in my opinion, probably the most beautiful group of insects.  They flit and flutter gracefully from flower to flower, the embodiment of a lazy summer afternoon.  And one of the most widely recognized butterfly is the monarch.

Unfortunately, across the country monarch butterfly numbers are dropping.  This decrease may be attributed to a combination of several factors, including drought, loss of habitat, and the use and overuse of pesticides.

Butterflies are not only excellent pollinators for all types of flowering plants, but they also play a vital role in the ecosystem.  Since the lifespan of a butterfly is lived out in the course of one year, they are especially sensitive to year-to-year changes in the ecosystem and climate.  This makes them good indicators of ecosystem health; large butterfly populations generally indicate a healthy ecosystem.

A combination of habitat loss due to the use of herbicides across expanding areas of farmland, and the use of pesticides, has had a direct and drastic effect on butterfly populations.  But by farming or gardening pieces of land organically, without the use of chemicals, and by growing a food source for monarch caterpillars, milkweed plants, we can help provide protected islands (or "waystations") for monarch and other butterfly species populations to recover.

 

Needless to say, I was quite excited to find this monarch (pictured) at the farm yesterday!  Hopefully that means The Old Flower Patch and McKinley Family Farm are doing some good in helping to provide a little piece of habitat for these gorgeous beneficial insects, to the betterment of the whole ecosystem!

 

Find out more (much, much more!) about monarchs at MonarchWatch.org