Midway through September, a new visitor graces the Western North Carolina mountains. And no, I’m not referring to Bigfoot. It’s the monarch butterfly, the sole known butterfly species undertaking a round-trip migration within its lifetime. During the summer breeding season, these butterflies dwell in Eastern North America. Yet, as temperatures drop, they embark on a journey spanning 3,000 miles to converge in vast colonies within the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.
Like numerous other animals, Monarchs face the looming danger of climate change. Their reproductive cycles, hibernation periods and migratory patterns hinge on environmental temperatures. For the survival of Monarch Butterflies all these cues must align. Additionally, Monarchs heavily rely on milkweed as a host plant which is declining due to the extreme weather conditions wrought by climate change.
We can significantly contribute to the understanding and conservation of Monarch Butterflies through citizen science initiatives focused on tagging and tracking these migratory wonders, The tagging process involves affixing a simple sticker onto the butterfly’s wing, enabling researchers to track their movements upon recapture. (And if your tagged butterfly is found in Mexico, you receive a plaque!)
This semester at Purchase Knob, we experienced the thrill of prancing through a field with a long net to catch pretty butterflies. It proved almost therapeutic during our initial afternoon out in search of them. However, this therapy quickly turned and it began to make me want therapy as the anger of being unable to catch a monarch broke me. I spent all my free time at the purchase knob trying to catch one to no avail. Coming back to Highlands we would continue to go out in search and by the end captured and tagged 14 monarchs!
- Connor Phillips
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