NATS 1940 Study Guide - Final Guide: Monarch Butterfly, Herbicide
Document Summary
Observed monarch butterfly behaviour has significant implications for species survival. Habitat loss is one of the worlds leading causes of species decline and extinction. New research was completed that thus showed that egg-laying monarchs much prefer off-road farmlands present with milkweed than along roadsides. In the past 20 years, the eastern north american monarch butterfly population has jumped by. A method of aiding in saving the butterflies, was to plant more milkweeds. Reason being, every spring in north america, monarch butterflies scheme north of their wintering grounds, laying their eggs specifically on milkweeds, which are the only solitary plants their caterpillars can consume. Roadside parks have been involved through this strategy. Adding on, new research unfolds that eastern north american monarch butterflies lay three and a half times more eggs on milkweeds that are situated on farmlands, compared to milkweeds that grow alongside roadsides, natural areas or urban gardens.
