This years 2015 State Park Sticker features the Monarch Butterfly.
I fondly remember many summers following butterflies around the yard just to get a closer look. It was always especially exciting when a Monarch Butterfly would come along.
It doesn't seem like there are as many anymore and I found out their numbers are diminishing due the lack of food sources. So see if you can plant some milkweed in your yard and give them a break on their long and unique journey.
Did you know the Monarch Butterfly's journey begins in Mexico and California where they over winter. They start northward beginning in March. It takes four different generations to reach us. They go through egg laying, larvae, pupae, chrysalis then adult stages flying northward for only 2- 6 weeks before starting the next generation.
They arrive here sometime in August when our prairie gardens are in full bloom. Then by September the fourth generation will live for 6-8 months giving them time to return to warmer climates. This last generation somehow mysteriously knows the way home. Millions of butterflies return to the same roosting trees their ancestors spent the previous winter hanging out on.
I fondly remember many summers following butterflies around the yard just to get a closer look. It was always especially exciting when a Monarch Butterfly would come along. It doesn't seem like there are as many anymore and I found out their numbers are diminishing due the lack of food sources. So see if you can plant some milkweed in your yard and give them a break on their long and unique journey.
They arrive here sometime in August when our prairie gardens are in full bloom. Then by September the fourth generation will live for 6-8 months giving them time to return to warmer climates. This last generation somehow mysteriously knows the way home. Millions of butterflies return to the same roosting trees their ancestors spent the previous winter hanging out on.
I wish I could see the thousands of them when they enmass in Mexico, but it's still thrilling to see any of them when they show up.
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