Monarch Butterflies, Bring Your Own Butterfly, Emerald Necklace, Jamaica Pond, Olmsted Park, Back Bay Fens, Franklin Park, Arnold Arboretum, Boston

Bring Your Own Butterfly is a program that brings together children of the United States and Mexico. Every year, children in North America create paper butterflies and send them to the children who live beside the monarch sanctuaries in the Oyamel. The children of the Oyamel region take care of the butterflies all winter, and in the spring send them back, completing the “migration” of the paper butterflies. The program teaches about the conservation of the forests and the monarchs, raising environmental awareness, as well as creating a bond between children of two different parts of the world.

The butterflies’ fall flight is timed to correspond with the real monarchs’ journey south. The paper butterflies arrive in Mexico around the time of the Dia de los Muertos (November 2), just as the real monarchs do. According to Mexican legend, these returning butterflies are thought to carry the ancestors’ souls and play a role in the Dia de los Muertos celebrations.

Mexican students from the sanctuary region greet the butterflies and watch over them during the winter months. At the same time in the mountains nearby, the entire eastern population of North American monarch butterflies is resting in Mexico for the winter. Sometime next March, when the real monarchs’ departure from Mexico is announced, the paper butterflies will return. The butterflies will carry a special message from the Mexican students to the students in Canada and U. S. who made them.

Any donations made through the Bring Your Own Butterfly program go to fund the efforts of the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation, which works to protect both the Oyamel forests and support the people who live around them. Bring Your Own Butterfly is modeled after and supports the Journey North's Symbolic Migration http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/

Every year, millions of monarch butterflies migrate from eastern North America to the Oyamel fir forests of Mexico. The Oyamel forests are located in the mountains of central Mexico, and their unique ecosystem is essential to the survival of the monarch. The monarchs spend the winter there, then migrate back north in the spring to lay their eggs on the milkweed plants of North America.

by Larissa Belcic with photographs by Stephen Baird

Life Cycle

The monarch butterfly goes through four different stages during its life: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. The whole process of going from an egg to a butterfly is called metamorphosis.

The butterfly begins as an egg, which its mother lays underneath the leaves of the milkweed plant. The egg takes two weeks to develop, and its color changes from yellow to light gray.

Caterpillar

At the end of the two weeks, the egg opens and out comes a tiny caterpillar. The caterpillar does nothing but eat the leaves of the milkweed plant and grow. The caterpillar grows to be up to two inches long, which it does by shedding its skin several times. When it is ready, the caterpillar then finds a safe place to undergo the process of becoming a butterfly. Using a special gland in its mouth, the caterpillar weaves a small silk button underneath a twig or leaf, and then attaches its tail end to the button.

Chrysalis

The caterpillar hangs upside down from the button in a J shape. For up to five hours, it sheds its skin until it looks like a giant green water droplet. This green outer layer hardens, and the caterpillar is now in the chrysalis stage. For two weeks the caterpillar is busy transforming inside the chrysalis.

Butterfly

At the end of the two weeks, the butterfly has completed its transformation, and the new butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. It first sits and waits for its wings to dry, then when it is ready, it flies away.

Migration

The monarch butterfly must travel a very long way to make it to Boston. Every year, tens of millions of monarchs complete the journey from the Oyamel fir forests of Mexico to eastern North America and back, a cycle that takes four generations of monarchs to complete. The monarchs migrate to Mexico in order to avoid the cold temperatures of the northern winter, but they must fly back every spring because milkweed plants, which are the only food source for the caterpillar, do not grow in the Oyamel forests. Although the butterflies who reach Mexico each year are four generations removed from the butterflies who arrived the previous year, the monarchs always know the way and even stay in the same trees year after year. A single Oyamel fir tree can be filled with as many as 50,000 butterflies at one time.

The Oyamel Fir Forests

The Oyamel fir forests are located in the mountains of central Mexico, covering an area of about 60 square miles. The unique ecosystem of the Oyamel is key to the monarch’s winter survival. The cool weather enables the butterflies to conserve their energy reserves for the return journey north. The trees create a buffer to harsh weather such as wind, cold, snow, and rain. The nearby streams provide a source of water for the monarchs. The frequent fog and clouds provide moisture to prevent hot temperatures from drying out the monarchs’ bodies.

The Threat to the Forests

Unfortunately, the forests, which are essential to the continued survival of the monarch butterfly, are being threatened. Logging occurs in the area, as local residents of the region cut down the trees of the Oyamel forests for personal and commercial reasons. In 1986 a presidential decree was passed by the Mexican government that created the “Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca,” or the Monarch Butterfly Special Biosphere Reserve. This decree created zones of protection in five of the 13 known monarch overwintering sites. However, both illegal and legal cutting still continue, posing a threat to the monarch’s habitat.

Looking for a Solution

A solution must be found that addresses both the long-term conservation of the dwindling Oyamel forest and the needs of the people who depend on the forest for survival, allowing both interests to live together in a sustainable manner. The Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation is one group who addresses this problem by focusing on environmental education, economic development, and research. The project connects the monarchs, those who care about them, and the people of the Oyamel, working towards a solution that addresses the needs of each party.

Fun Facts:

Migration Discover Tales -- Dr. Fred Urquhart from Toronto, Canada, spent 40 years looking for the wintering sites of the monarch butterfly. He developed a small paper wing tag and slowly followed the trail from Canada to Mexico! Wintering sites were not documented until 1975.

Urquhart, Fred A. 1976. "Found at Last: The Monarch's Winter Home". National Geographic. August, pg.161

Flight of the Monarchs, Vanity Fair, November , 1999: Great story on Kenneth Brugger and Catalina Aguado discovery of wintering site through research grant by Fred Urquhart and later discoveries by rival Lincoln Brower. http://www.dispatchesfromthevanishingworld.com/pastdispatches/monarch/printermonarch.html

Zahl, P. A. 1963. "Mystery of the monarch butterfly." National Geographic, 123: 588-598

Brower, L. P. 1995. "Understanding and misunderstanding the migration of the Monarch Butterfly (Nymphalidae) in North America: 1857-1995." Journal of the Lepidopterists Society 49(4): 304-385 PDF version at http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/documents/Understanding_Monarch_Migration1995-Brower.pdf

Dr. Lincoln Brower and Dr. Bill Calvert story of how they found the wintering sites of the monarch: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/DiscoveryTale.html

Dr. Hutchins who was a Professor of Entomology at Mississippi State University story of Monarch X that was tagged in Canada and discovered in the mountains of Mexico in 1957-1958. http://insectzoo.msstate.edu/Curriculum/Activities/monarchx.html

Scientists Unlock Secret to Monarch Migration -- Research Reveals Ancient Nature of Circadian Rhythms
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/monarch-butterflies-47010808

ScienceDaily. (March 2009). Genetic basis for migration in monarch butterflies uncovered by Steven Reppert and team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School who performed behavioral and genetic analyses on summer and migratory monarch butterflies http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090330200615.htm (April 2009)

Monarch Butterflies travel between 2 and up to 25 miles an hour with prevailing winds. They can soar a 100 feet in the air with solar updrafts. One tagged butterfly traveled over 200 miles in one day!

Other names for the Monarch Butterfly

Milkweed Butterfly - for the feeding and breeding plant of the Monarch

Wanderer - for the migrating aspect

King Billy - Canadian and old pioneer name for the orange and black colors of King Willam of Orange

Danaus plexippus - Latin name - "sleepy transformation" and "Greek horse-driver"

Seperito - the Otomi-Mazahuas native peoples name for the butterfly that passes during October and November

Mariposa Monarca - Spanish name

Monarch - The common name “Monarch” was first published in 1874 by Samuel H. Scudder because “it is one of the largest of our butterflies, and rules a vast domain.”

Issues:

Monarch Butterflies population in 2013-2014 saw a 56 percent reduction from last year’s record low. Since 1996, the population has declined from an area of 45 acres to 1.65 acres this year.

Monarch Butterflies Falter Under Extreme Weather by MICHAEL WINES, New York Times, JAN. 29, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/us/monarch-butterflies-falter-under-extreme-weather.html

North American monarch butterfly migration falls to record lows, report says; by Joshua Partlow, Washington Post, January 29, 2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/monarch-migration-falls-to-record-lows-according-to-new-report/
Migrating Monarch Butterflies in "Grave Danger," Hit New Low by Christine Dell'Amore, January 29, 2014 National Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140129-monarch-butterflies-mexico-animals-science-environment-migration-nation/
New Report Shows Monsanto A Major Culprit in Record Decline of Monarch Butterflies by Larissa Walker , EcoWatch, Jan. 30, 2014; http://ecowatch.com/2014/01/30/monsanto-culprit-record-decline-monarch-butterflies/

Setting the Table for a Regal Butterfly Comeback, With Milkweed By MICHAEL WINES , New York Times, December 20, 2013 Article highlights habitat loss in the mid west and other factors for monarch butterfly decline.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/us/setting-the-table-for-a-fluttering-comeback-with-milkweed.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131221

Emory University 2010 study shows milkweed, the monarchs larva’s food plants, can reduce parasite infections. New studies are being funded to investigate the findings in the wild.

http://www.futurity.org/monarchs-use-plants-to-medicate/

Monarch Butterflies face serious population declines in wintering sites 2009-2013

Boston Globe August 2013 Story on butterfly population decline in Massachusetts HERE

Mass Audubon blog August 2013 HERE
http://news.discovery.com/animals/female-monarch-butterflies-disappearing.html
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/monarch-butterfly010.html#c

Monarch Butterflies Are Out of the Woods -- And That Is Not a Good Thing -- Article on deforestation in Mexico

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/monarch-butterfly-habitat-74030711

Bt Corn & Monarch Butterflies by Kristie Auman-Bauer: Article on issue of genetic engineered corn and effect on Monarch Butterflies

http://biotech.cas.psu.edu/articles/bt_corn_monarch.htm

Overview of Research Presented at the Monarch Butterfly Research Symposium - Monday, August 21, 2000

http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/overview_research_presented_monarch_butterfly_research_symposium

Despite Industry Denials New Monarch Butterfly Study Shows Lethal Effects of GE Corn August 22, 2000, New Study Links Biotech Corn to Butterfly Deaths, By CAROL KAESUK YOON New York Times

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/monarch.cfm

Study points to health problems with genetically modified foods , September 20, 2012 , Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-gmo-food-study-20120920,0,3467735.story

Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey M. Smith. Book on the genetically modified (GM) foods industry manipulation of scientific studies, the government and media to sell their products.

http://www.wanttoknow.info/deception10pg

Toxic pollen from widely planted, genetically modified corn can kill monarch butterflies, Cornell study shows

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/May99/Butterflies.bpf.html

Links and References

Monarch - Danaus plexippus (USGS site at University of Montana) http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1892

MONARCH WATCH: Dedicated to Education, Conservation and Preservation
Web: http://www.monarchwatch.org
E-mail: monarch@ukans.edu
Phone: 1-888-TAGGING or 1-913-864-4441 for viewing information
Write to: Monarch Watch, c/o Orley "Chip" Taylor, Department of Entomology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045

Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle -- web site has fun activities and notes on 40th anniversary events of this classic children's story and illustration book http://www.eric-carle.com/

Fly, Monarch! Fly! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Inc. 2008 Childrens ages 4-8 learn all about monarchs, milkweed, metamorphosis, and monarch migration.

NOTE: 8 x 10 matted and framed photographs are available for $100 membership donations or 11 x 17 matted and framed photographs are available for $500 membership donations to Friends of Jamaica Pond. Contact Stephen Baird at info@communityartsadvocates.org