Monarch Butterfly Habitatand Mine Reclamation

2015 PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference“Reclaiming Our Communities”

June 26, 2015. Michael C. “Mike” Korb, P.E.

My Name is Mike. I’m an Engineer.

Engineers don’t know this,but sometimes they don’tcare a lot about “save the…”A couple years ago,I didn’t know much aboutButterflies….except they’re pretty.

Today, I want to talk aboutMonarch Butterflies andmilkweed, not “save the…”But how they seemto be threatened, andhow the reclamationcommunity might beable to help. What WE can do.

“Monarch” Butterfly & “William of Orange”

1689-1702

Monarch Popularity

Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle

Adult

(3-4 days) (10-14 days)

(10-14 days)

(2-5 weeks)

Monarch Migration

Monarch Migration

Monarch Migration

Monarch Decline

Each species of butterfly lays its eggs on particular plants.  The caterpillars will starve to death rather than to eat any other

plants than the ones they are “designed” to eat.  So, if you are serious

about attracting more varieties of butterflies to your garden, you need to consider the host plants that the butterflies seek out to

lay their eggs.

Zebra Swallowtail - pawpaw treeBlack Swallowtail - fennel, carrots, parsley

Giant Swallowtail - citrus tree, prickly ash treePipevine Swallowtail - Dutchman's pipevine

Tiger Swallowtail - tulip poplar, wild cherry treeSpicebush Swallowtail - spicebush, sassafras tree

Painted Lady - hollyhocks and thistleRed Admiral - false nettles

Question Mark & Comma - hop vines, elm treeSilvery Checkerspot - purple coneflowers

Sulphur butterfly - white clover and legumesCabbage white - nasturtium, spider flowers(Cleome)

Pearl Crescent - astersVariegated & Gulf Fritillary - passion vines

Great Spangled Fritillary - violets

Butterfly Larvae Host Plants

For each species of butterfly, its larva can only digest a specific type of plant foliage. Some caterpillars are able to thrive on a number of closely related plants

while others are able to digest just one specific species. This specific plant material is referred to as the 'host plant'. Isolate a caterpillar with an unsuitable host plant

and it will starve. For every butterfly species that is native to Pennsylvania, there is a native plant, often a “weed”, that hosts its caterpillars. Thistle is one of the host plants for the

caterpillars of the American Lady butterfly, stinging nettle hosts Red Admirals, wild carrot is a host for the Black Swallowtail, and plantain is a host for the larvae of the

Baltimore Checkerspot and Buckeye butterflies. Most people would be reluctant to incorporate milkweed, thistle, stinging nettle, wild carrot, and plantain into their landscaped gardens. These plants are classified as ugly, invasive weeds. The caterpillars of many butterflies can utilize beautiful

cultivated plants as hosts.

Monarchs cannot.They are stuck with milkweed.

Butterfly Larvae Host Plants

Milkweed

Monarch butterfly habitat is anywhere milkweed grows.

Monarch larvae feeds only on milkweed. Milkweed is native to all of the lower-48 US states and the eight southern provinces of

Canada. Pennsylvania has 11 native species and New Mexico, 24. There are 73 species of native milkweeds in the United States. Many of these species are rare, and 21 are threatened, and/or

endangered.

Milkweed

This plant is a pioneer plant - a fugitive species - a disturbed habitat specialist, it grows in sandy,

clayey, chalky or rocky soils. It occurs along roadsides, railroad tracks, bike paths, highway medians, and farm field and forest margins; on

vacant land, old fields, small clearings, fence rows and waste places. It is ideal in semi-dry

places where it can spread without presenting problems for other ornamental species.

Milkweed on Stripping Roads

Milkweed

It reproduces by seeds, underground stems, and roots, and is easily propagated by both seed and

rhizome cuttings. It is very recognizable - the plants can be recognized at highway speeds by

their distinct form. Seeds can be harvested easily by hand in the fall.

Timing of collection of milkweed pods or seeds is critical. If you squeeze the pods and they don’t open easily, they don’t contain mature brown seeds. Pale or white seeds should be not collected. Dry collected pods in an open

area with good air circulation. Once the pods are thoroughly dry, the seeds can be separated from the coma, or silk-like ballooning material, by hand, or by

stripping the seeds and coma from the pods into a paper bag. Shake the contents of the bag vigorously to

separate the seeds from the coma and then cut a small hole in a corner of the bottom of the bag and shake out

the seeds. `

Milkweed Seed Collection

Propagation by cuttings of the tuberous rhizome is easy and reliable. The cuttings should be made when the

plant is dormant. Each piece of the rhizome should have at least one bud (they are about two inches apart).

Timing of propagation is important. Harvest or divide plants and get the plants in the ground by late fall so they can develop enough root growth to survive the

winter. Irrigation the first year will improve survival, and by the second year the root system should be well enough established so plants will survive without.

Propagation from Cuttings

% % %

Milkweed Seeds & Plants

Seeds and plants are available from many nurseries. Ernst Seed in Meadville PA currently

is producing 3 species of milkweed: Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Swamp

Milkweed (A. incarnata), and Butterfly Milkweed (A. tuberosa). If planting onto mine land in

Pennsylvania, Common Milkweed on dry sites and Swamp Milkweed on wet sites are

recommended.

Milkweed Habitat LossThe loss of milkweed plants in the monarch’s spring and summer breeding areas across the

United States is a significant factor contributing to the decline of the monarchs

• Changes in agricultural methods, • conversion of grasslands to agriculture,• suburbanization of rural lands, and• mowing and pesticide control of roadside

vegetation have all worked to reduce the richness of

milkweeds in the landscape.

Milkweed Habitat Loss

Milkweed Loss - No-Till

The idea of modern no-till started in 1943 with Edward Faulkner, author of Plowman's Folly, but it wasn't until

the development of several chemicals after WWII and in the 1950s, and development of no-till seeders in the

1960s that various researchers and farmers started to try out the idea. Approximately 35 percent of U.S. cropland (88 million acres) planted to eight major crops had no-till

operations in 2009. The use of no-till increased over time for corn, cotton, soybeans, rice and wheat. While a more recent estimate of nationwide use of no-till by all

major crop producers is not available, it seems likely that no-till’s use continues to spread.

Milkweed Decline – No-TillNo-till farming appears to be a tremendous step forward for

agriculture. However, as it's currently practiced in the U.S., no-till farming

might more appropriately be called no-till/chemical agriculture.

Milkweed Loss - Roundup

Milkweed Loss – Grass>Agriculture

Milkweed Loss - Suburbanization

Milkweed Loss - Suburbanization

Moon Township, Allegheny County, PA

Milkweed Loss - Suburbanization

Milkweed Loss - Herbicides

Milkweed Loss - Herbicides

Milkweed Loss - Mowing

Milkweed Loss - Mowing

Highway I-81 / Exit 112 - PA 25 – Hegins(Currently, the Interstate System is 46,876 miles long)

What Can We Do to Help?

My Name is Mike. I’m a Lawnmower.

What Can We Do to Help?

What Can We Do to Help?

So…we’ve got a plant that is the required host plant for one of America’s most recognizable,

beautiful and recognizable animals, and the plant is a critical component in that animal’s life cycle. Changes in agricultural methods, intensification of agriculture, development of rural lands and

pesticide control of roadside vegetation have all have reduced the richness of the plants in the

landscape, helping cause a dramatic drop in the animal’s numbers.

What Can We Do to Help?Common milkweed is a pioneer plant - a fugitive species

- a disturbed habitat specialist.Common milkweed grows in sandy, clayey, or rocky calcareous soils. It occurs along the banks or flood

plains of lakes, ponds, and waterways, in prairies, forest margins, roadsides, and waste places. It is easily

propagated by both seed and rhizome cuttings. Seeds and plants are available from many nurseries.

In general, milkweed grown in their native range and preferred soil type adapt well to no irrigation. Milkweed

is tolerant and may benefit from sulfur in the soil.

Use Milkweed In ReclamationSeed mixes are often used to restore habitats for

wildlife (quail and pheasants), restoration of native vegetation, and to reseed construction

sites… Pennsylvania and some other AML programs may use milkweed in their wildlife

seed mixes, but milkweed is not included in all seed mixes. Except where the post-reclamation

land use is grazing, when using a prepared seed mix, specify one with milkweed in it, or add

milkweed seeds to the other mixes.

Newtown South II-22013 NAAMLP National AML Award

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Seed Mixture on Newtown South

Working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission Southeast District, a game-

cover seed mixture of Orchardgrass, Little Bluestem, Yellow Blossom Sweet Clover,

White Dutch Clover, Vernal Alfalfa, Canada Wild Rye, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Maximillian’s

Sunflower, Perennial Sweet Pea, Butterfly Milkweed, and Spring Oats was specified for use on the bulk of the grading areas.

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Newtown South II-2

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Using Milkweed In ReclamationEven under favorable growing conditions, a fairly high percentage of milkweed seed in any given

lot may not germinate immediately after planting. The reason the seed does not

germinate is that there is an incorrect balance of two hormones within the seed, and this leads to a condition called seed dormancy. To “break” this dormancy and get high levels of germination, the milkweed seed should be planted in the fall, or a

seed stratification process should be used.

Using Milkweed In Reclamation

Free Milkweed

• Ernst Conservation Seeds, Inc. http://www.ernstseed.com/ Mark Fiely, hortpath@ernstseed.com

• Monarch Joint Venture, http://monarchjointventure.org/

• Monarch Watch, www.monarchwatch.org/

• National Wildlife Federation, http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/

• US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/

• University of Minnesota Monarch Lab http://monarchlab.org/

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, http://www.xerces.org/monarchs/

 

Resources

A Gift to Take Home!

Michael C. “Mike” Korb, P.E.570.826.2371

mkorb@pa.gov