Look! A Monarch!

This appeared in the October 14, 2021 edition of The Fish Wrap.

Seeing a monarch always feels like a blessing. Our pasture has been full of them lately and between chickens, heifers and thousands of different insects and plants it is quite a menagerie! The Monarch is the state insect of Illinois and it is a role model of the power and possibility of change and transformation. They are with us during breeding in the warm part of the year before their migration to Mexico for the winter.

Mature butterflies make their 3,000 mile trek to the northern breeding ground in the spring. The females lay tiny eggs on milkweed which hatch as hungry caterpillars who devour the milkweed leaves. Butterflies feed on nectar as they migrate, but most of their energy comes from the huge volume consumed by the caterpillar. During the summer breeding season, monarchs live for only 2-6 weeks. But the monarchs that migrate to Mexico in the fall are made for long voyages. They are born in late summer, stay alive all winter, and migrate north the following spring.

The hungry caterpillars eat and grow for around 12 days before forming a chrysalis. The miracle that happens next is barely imaginable. The caterpillar releases enzymes that turn all its tissues into a protein-rich goo. All that remains are certain highly organized groups of cells called imaginal discs, one disc for each butterfly body part, one for wings, eyes, legs and so on. Those discs use the protein-rich goo to fuel cell division that forms a perfect, beautiful butterfly.

A diversity of plants, including ‘weeds’ supports a diversity of important pollinators like Monarchs. Our pasture includes the adult monarch’s favorite flowers like Joe-Pye weed, goldenrods and Asters. Include milkweed for the caterpillars and plenty of nectar ‘weeds’ in your garden for a butterfly blessing!