Mexico Monarch Adventure!

Shortly after we purchased our property in 2002, I "accidentally" became a butterfly gardener. I had unearthed a large neglected garden near our house in which my plans were to create a vegetable or kitchen garden. The first season I planted a variety of perennial herbs and seeded the rest of the garden in zinnia seeds (because they were cheap and easy to grow). I didn't realize it at the time, but I had created the perfect habitat for our native Missouri black swallowtail butterfly.

The herbs - fennel, parsley - were the host plants (or food) of the caterpillars and the zinnias were the nectar (food) of the adult butterflies. This fascinated me and I wanted to attracted as many of our native butterflies to my garden that I could! Today I have 15 different host plants and my garden attracts a variety of butterflies each season. One of my favorite butterflies is without question the monarch. In fact in 2010 - one of the first blog entries I wrote was about this unique - almost magical - insect. The Monarch - in a class by itself

The Monarch is the only insect that migrates south and hibernates.  Each year / season, four generations are born. The first three generations live about two to four weeks, but the 4th generation migrates over 2500 miles to warmer climates in Mexico and California hibernating in eucalyptus trees (California) and on the Oyamel fir tree in the mountains of central Mexico. The same butterfly then returns to North America (another 2500 mile trip) in the spring - living a total of six to eight months and traveling close to 5000 miles!

Several years ago I would usually have a couple of times during the season in which I would see several monarchs in my garden and have 20 or so caterpillars early in the spring and again in the late summer / early fall. In the past few years, I rarely see a monarch. Their numbers have been declining the last few years for a number of reasons: logging of the fir trees in Mexico, recent bouts of severe weather and herbicide-resistant crops in the summer breeding grounds - which has led to the wide use of chemicals that kill milkweed - the only host plant for the caterpillar.

However - this year's reports are more promising! - According to Journey North: The number of monarchs overwintering in Mexico has increased dramatically from the record lows of the past 3 years, although still 30% below historic levels. The clustering butterflies cover 4.01 hectares of forest compared to a peak of 18 hectares in 1996 and an average of 6 hectares. This year's population contains 200 million monarchs compared to a long-term average of 300 million and a peak of 1 billion. Favorable breeding conditions in summer 2015 are credited for the increase.

It's been a dream of mine to visit the over-wintering site of the monarchs in central Mexico - and this year I got to check this unbelievable adventure off my bucket-list! The 2nd week in February we traveled to Mexico to visit friends vacationing in Guanajuato. From this starting point we hired a driver (much cheaper and safer than renting a car and driving) and went to two different butterfly reserves: Sierra Chincua and El Rosario.

Guanajuato Mexico

It was around a six hour drive to the first butterfly reserve or sanctuary that we visited - Sierra Chincua. This was a Sunday and there were only a handful of other visitors at the site. We arrived around 2pm in the afternoon and it was overcast. We rented horses to take us up a short trek of the mountain (around $5.00). At this reserve the horse ride wasn't really that necessary. They only take you a short distance and then you end up hiking the rest of the way. At El Rosario the cost of a horse ride was $10. We opted to hike and this was a mistake! It's a 2 mile steep hike upward at that reserve and we regretted not forking out the money about half way up the mountain!

Sierra Chincua was breath taking...  The views of the surrounding mountains were gorgeous and millions of butterflies roosting on the trees was indescribable.

That night we stayed in the nearby town of Angangueo. Our driver told us this city had been destroyed by floods a few years back. The town still seems to be struggling to recover, but the inn that we stayed in - Hotel Don Bruno - was beautifully restored. It has a quaint restaurant that serves delicious food (the best guacamole). It was Superbowl Sunday and the innkeeper turned the game on for us to watch! It's pretty hard to make reservations at the hotel unless you can speak Spanish. However, there was only one other couple staying there on a Sunday night. It's cold in this area of Mexico in February - down to 30-40°F at night. They will provide you with a space heater for your room if you ask and it's definitely needed! During the day it warms to 70-80°F - so dress in layers.

Monday we set out for our 2nd sanctuary - El Rosario. We arrived around 11am. The day was sunny and I'm not sure if it was the location, the weather or the time of the day - but this reserve was magical! Near the top of the mountain there was an explosion of monarchs! The air was alive with floating / flying butterflies, the ground was covered, the trees were loaded. It was so incredible! Much better than I could have imagined!

 As for the safety of central Mexico. - I never felt threatened or witnessed any violence. I fell in love with the beauty of the landscape and cities, the people were kind, courteous, and hospitable. Even with the crazy fast driving, there wasn't the road rage and foul language I would expect in the states. This isn't the border or Mexico City - it's a part of Mexico that is rich in culture and history. If you have the chance, TAKE THIS TRIP!!

My garden has been certified for several years as a Monarch Waystation through Monarch Watch - an organization dedicated to creating, conserving and protecting milkweed / monarch habitats.
Refer to this link for more information on how you can help protect this unique butterfly:

Monarch Watch

Late June Wildflower Blooms ~ 2013

A lot of the late spring - early summer wildflowers are starting to fade (oxeye daisies, milkweed), but there are several more that should be in full bloom within the next month. :)

Here's a sampling of what's blooming now in my gardens and along the roadside...

Echinacea purpurea 'Purple Coneflower'

Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
Not a native Coreopsis, but still a wonderful flower!

Larkspur? Not sure of the type or even if it's the right ID. This is one of the plants I picked up at the Master Gardener
plant exchange and I've lost the tag and forgot what it was! 

Asclepias tuberosa 'Butterfly Weed, Milkweed'
From my garden, but it's also growing wild along the roadsides and fields. The sad thing is that within the next month (about the time the Monarchs are at their peak), most of the fields will be mowed down or brush hogged. I've grown milkweed for the past ten years and last year (for the first time), I didn't have a single Monarch caterpillar. It saddens me that their numbers have declined so much...

Datura inoxia 'Angels Trumpet'
Native to Mexico and Central America. Not really a perennial in my gardens, but it reseeds easily. This plant is a member of the nightshade family and all parts are extremely toxic. Interesting though, my free range chickens seem to have some sort of innate ability to discern what is tasty and what could be poisonous. This plant is also a host to the tobacco hornworm moth.

Verbascum thapsus 'Common Mullien'
Common throughout Missouri, but originally one of the first plants introduced from Europe. Actually I thought this was a native Missouri wildflower for years and transplanted it from a field into my garden! 

Aristolochia tomentosa 'Dutchman's Pipe'
Vine native to Missouri, host plant to the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.

Asclepias syriaca 'Common Milkweed'
Along the fence line down the road from my property. Host plant of the Monarch buterfly.

Campsis radicans 'Trumpet Vine, Trumpetcreeper'
Native to Missouri. The blooms are a favorite of hummingbirds and it's also thicket forming (which also attracts birds as a shelter - protection), This grows wild along my fence line and last season I transplanted some of this vine to a container/trellis outside my bedroom window. It's growing wild and crazy, but I don't think it will bloom until next year. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy watching the hummingbirds eat from a natural food source.

Packera aurea 'Golden Ragwort, Squaw weed)
Native to Missouri. Growing along the fence line...

May Dreams Gardens
clay and limestone

Tagging Monarchs...

Last Saturday was a perfect day...
The weather was sunny and warm (70+ degrees) and there was a great turn out for one of my favorite events--tagging Monarchs...


The event was organized (in conjunction with Monarch Watch) by one of the gardening organizations I belong to, Friends of the Gardens, and held at the Dr. Bill Roston Native Butterfly House.  Monarch Watch is an organization dedicated to creating, conserving and protecting milkweed and monarch habitats..

The North American Monarch is the only insect that migrates south and hibernates.  Each year/season, four generations are born.  The first three generations live about two to four weeks, but the 4th generation migrates to the warmer climates of Mexico and California then returns to North America in the spring, living a total of six to eight months and traveling close to 2500 miles.  Monarch Watch developed the tagging program to associate the location of capture with the point of recovery for each butterfly. The data from these tagged butterflies is used to determine the pathway taken by the migrating Monarchs and also the influence of weather, the survival rate, etc...  From my location in Springfield, Missouri, the butterfly will have to travel 1600 miles to their roosting sites on the Oyamel trees in Mexico. Along this journey they will be passing through the scorched dry land of Texas--with very little nectar and water sources available, the survival rate may be lower than previous years...


In addition to the obstacles that the Monarch butterflies face during migration, their entire existence is in danger.  The host plant of the larva, milkweed, has been eliminated across much of the farming region of North America.  This is a direct result of the use of herbicide-tolerant corn and soybeans planted during the summer breeding times.  Additionally-- loss of habitat, decreased nectar sources, lack of protection of their over-wintering sites, logging of the Oyamel trees--all have a direct effect in the decline of the Monarch.  This unique insect is so reliant on certain aspects of nature to be in check--an elimination of one element would result in their extinction.

The morning of the event the Monarchs were caught or collected, carefully placed in envelopes and chilled (in a cooler) until the event...

Each person tagging the Monarch recorded the tag code, whether the butterfly was collected in the wild or reared/raised by a volunteer and the sex of the butterfly.    

The Male Monarch has easily identifiable hind-wing spots... 

 The tag is placed in the "mitten-shaped" cell on the underside of the hind-wing. 

 The butterflies were then allowed to "warm-up" before being released.

Free at last-- to began their long flight south!

 Monarch Waystation--Habitat certified by Monarch Watch that provides an adequate number of milkweed and nectar sources...

What a perfect day--to begin a long journey...

For more info on protecting Monarchs including:  creating Monarch Waystations, milkweed and tagging programs--visit Monarch Watch.

The Monarch--in a class by itself...

I know I'm not the first to be intrigued or in awe of the Monarch.  Just the whole process of metamorphosis - in any butterfly - is a remarkable and a hard concept to grasp.  But the Monarch should be in a class of its own - its lifespan, strength, instincts and beauty set it apart from all the rest.

The Monarch is the only insect that migrates south and hibernates. Each year / season, four generations are born.  The first three generations live about two to four weeks, but the 4th generation migrates to warmer climates in Mexico and California and then returns to North America in the spring, living a total of six to eight months and traveling close to 2500 miles!  Nova had an interesting, informative film, The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies, which details the life-cycle and migration of the monarch - worth watching! It's definitely on my "bucket-list" to some day view the millions (more than 150 million!) of Monarchs hibernating on the Oyamel fir trees in the mountains of central Mexico.

When I first began butterfly gardening, I had no idea how unique the Monarch was... I wanted to include host plants for many of the native Missouri butterflies in my garden, and milkweed, the food source of the monarch larva, was on my list of essential/must-have plants for my garden.   As a side note - eight years ago I had some difficulty finding milkweed locally to purchase. It's almost impossible to transplant our native milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, - it has a long tap-root and it's late to emerge in the spring which also adds to the problem of being able to identify it before it's too established to dig up and move to another location. I have noticed in the last few years, probably due to the fact of an increased interest and popularity of butterfly gardening, that milkweed is much more available.

It was the second year after I planted the milkweed before I had my first caterpillar, the next year I had several. I've read that the off-spring of the previous year's generations will return to the same milkweed each year. I've also observed that I have had a chrysalis in the same location each year.- In precisely the exact spot: under a garden bench, on a certain branch of golden rod or garden phlox, under the bird bath. This just amazes me - not only does their genetic make-up instinctively direct them across the continent back to my garden, it's passed through their DNA where their ancestors spun their chrysalis!

My garden, in addition to the Master Gardener Xeriscape, are certified Monarch Waystations through Monarch Watch - an organization dedicated to creating, conserving and protecting milkweed/monarch habitats.

Monarch Waystations are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. Without milkweeds throughout their spring and summer breeding areas in North America, monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration each fall. Similarly, without nectar from flowers these fall migratory monarch butterflies would be unable to make their long journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico. The need for host plants for larvae and energy sources for adults applies to all monarch and butterfly populations around the world....Monarch Watch

I've tried to share my admiration and fascination of the Monarch with others - especially children.  It's an easy insect to raise or rear indoors, watch the phases of metamorphosis and then release it to continue its incredible,amazing journey...