Monarch Population in Peril by the numbers

[rovingreporter]

Acres USA - April 2015


The annual overwintering count of monarch butterflies released in January shows a modest population rebound from last year's lowest-ever count of 34 million butterflies, but is still the second lowest population count since surveys began in 1993.  The 56.5 million monarchs currently gathered in Mexico for the winter still represent a population decline of 82 percent from the 20 year aerage and a decline of 95 percent from the population highs in the mid 1990s.

[cascade]

www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm

[jamshundred]

Thanks Kirk.  I don't know though. . . . . . 

Four years ago my one pasture was absolutely full of milk weed.  It was taking over everything. . . and there were hundreds and hundreds of butterflys everywhere.
But. . . I needed grass. . . not milkweed and I took the bushhog out and mowed without mercy.  The air vents on my tractor were full of white puffs as they had already gone to seed.  I expected the same issue the next year. . . . instead I had thistle.  The milkweed has not returned.  I did NOT do anything.  No weed killers.
Nothing.   When I cut my herd down this year. . . . I may just plant one of the small pastures in milk weed.  The butterflys are important to mankind. . . . just like the bees. . .   .   and the early Dexter bloodlines!     ( Relentless).

Judy

[Deleted]

I have restored prairie. Before I had dexters I decided my front yard was a waste of space so I roundup all of the bluegrass and planted the whole thing in prairie. Except a boarder around it. I have over 100 species. I dont really manage it much so some times it looks weedy but when it flowers out wow. I will post pictures later. I also have a number of native plants that show up in my pasture including some rather rare ones. When the rare ones come up I put up electric fence around them. I would encourage anyone wanting to plant prairie to only use native eco type seed. plants can very greatly across this country even county to county there can be significant variation. 
Here is a couple of the rare ones that were just there and started to show up after managed grazing

grownative.org/plant-picker/plant/white-false-indigo/

www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/turkcap_lily.htm

[wvdexters]

We sure aren't seeing them like we used to.

[lonecowhand]

I'm not seeing pollinators of any sort in any significant numbers, and the last few years I resort to hand pollinating my fruit trees with a watercolor paint brush! Sound tedious? It is! But I've tried neglecting the chore and had no fruit as a result. You only have to pollinate the flowers you want to bear fruit!

I'm in an important agricultural zone for fruit and nut production out here. You would think there would be honeybees at least, but no. And I have not seen a Bumble Bee at all this year, they are my favorite, in their yellow and black fur coats.

It is not coincidence that the newer class of Pesticide called Neoniconoids arrived on the market at about the same time as the mass extinction of all pollinators. Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD) was first noticed following the release for general application. Of course, the chemical companies producing it are claiming "NO Conclusive Data" ala Big Tobacco, and have successfully kept this ploy going for ten years now. The EUropean government have outlawed it temporarily. The problem being that it stays in the soil for years, so there will be continued die -off even without application: "Proof there's no connection!" the attorneys will clamor.
Here is a website that will tell you if the household and garden pesticides you might consider are in this family of chemicals: www.xerces.org/neoniconoids-andbees/ and consider something else!

Bill

[wvdexters]

We've noticed the same thing here Bill. Seeing a honey bee in the garden is so odd now. They did a lot of spraying in this area for gypsy moths a few yrs back, whole mountains; and it really hurt the pollinators. Most of the pollination is being done by wasps, bumble bees, and yellow jackets. I'm also seeing some kind of weird fly/bee looking thing and a yellow/black bug that looks a lot like a beetle.

As for the pesticides - people are using these things without giving any thought to the damage. Organic Gardening did a report a few months back identifying the pesticide that is responsible. I'll have to see if I can find the article.

[lonecowhand]

Karrie , that's how it was when I first noticed we had no honeybees, and there were plenty of Bumblebees taking up the slack, them and wasps and those "H" bees, or Hover-flies, which mimic bees really well, including the sound.

But Alas! No Bumblebees now.

[wvdexters]

Hover-flies. Thank you, now I know what to call them.

Hopefully people will wake up. If we lose the bees, we are all in for a lot of trouble. We can't survive without them.

[lonecowhand]

Maybe some little Smartie will come up with a Pollinating Micro-Drone! I hope we wake before that.

Hopefully, like you said! (I noticed the 'yellow and black bugs' on the cherry blossoms last evening.)

[genebo]

www.legacydextercattleregistry.com/a_info.php?sec=1&aid=1842

Click on the owner's name to get contact information.

Then talk to Wade, at the Fisher Bee Farm, for expert information about bees. Bees are his occupation.