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Butterfly Heroes

How Farmers, Zoos and You Can Protect Pollinators

BY DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY / PHOTOS BY JOSEPH L. MURPHY

Call them the rock stars of the insect world. Majestic monarch butterflies are one of the most beloved butterfly species in North America. These colorful creatures have introduced school children to the wonders of nature for generations. They’ve also motivated scientists to study the delicate insects’ annual 3,000-mile migration, which requires multiple generations and is one of the most miraculous natural events on Earth.

Yet all is not well with monarchs.

“Pollinators such as monarchs are essential to life, because they help produce one-third of the global food supply,” says Jessie Lowry, director of conservation and research for the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. “The loss of monarch habitat in the past 20 years has created some serious challenges.”

Before they migrate south, the monarchs make Iowa their home for the summer.

“All of Iowa’s acres fall within the prime range of the monarchs’ breeding habitat,” says Dana Schweitzer, program coordinator for the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium at Iowa State University.

In the 1990s, nearly 700 million monarchs made the epic flight each fall from the northern plains of the U.S. and Canada to sites north of Mexico City.

Now, researchers and citizen scientists estimate that only a fraction of the monarch population remains. A decline of more than 80 percent has been seen in central Mexico, according to the Oregon-based Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

While there are many contributing factors to this challenge, habitat loss is part of the issue, including a decline in milkweed plants. Monarch caterpillars

only eat milkweed plants, and monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs. Adult monarchs, however, can consume the nectar of many blooming flowers and plants.

It’s estimated there are more than 100 varieties of milkweed in North America. Monarchs use milkweed plants to lay eggs.

Fortunately, habitat loss is something that can be addressed close to home. “Areas as small as 3 by 3 feet with the right mix of plants can create ‘pollinator pit stops’ for monarchs,” Lowry says.

These patches of habitat, filled with native flowers and other plants, can be grown near homes, churches, schools, retirement communities, farms, ditches and other areas. More Iowans, from the city to the country, are adopting this community approach to creating pollinator habitat.

The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, for example, is made up of nearly 40 organizations, including agricultural commodity groups, nonprofits, private industry, utility companies, conservation groups, government agencies and others.

“We’re looking at this issue from many different viewpoints to help add more habitat in unused areas of farmsteads, yards, acreages and businesses,” Schweitzer says.

COMMON SENSE CONSERVATION ON THE FARM

Farmers play an important role in the process. The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium has been reaching out to farmers and landowners through educational exhibits at events such as the Farm Progress Show near Boone.

“Since we began offering information at the show several years ago, the level of engagement has soared,” Schweitzer says. “Compared to previous years, we fielded significantly more questions from farmers, landowners and other attendees at the 2018 Farm Progress Show who were seeking information on adding pollinator habitat.”

Wayne Fredericks, a soybean and corn farmer from Osage, was inspired to add pollinator habitat to his land after learning about the monarchs’ declining populations. During his 45-year farming career, he has seen many changes that have altered the monarchs’ summer breeding and feeding habitat, including the decline of milkweed plants.

Wayne Fredericks, soybean and corn farmer, Osage

Weeds, including milkweed, are undesirable in farm fields because they compete with crops for light, water and nutrients.

“Farmers did not diminish monarch habitat intentionally,” Fredericks says. “When Roundup® Ready soybeans came along in the mid-1990s, it became easier to control weeds. Before that, patches of milkweed would often survive in the fields, and you’d see little puffs of fluff when you were combining.”

When the overwintering monarch population in Mexico hit a low point in 2012-2013, environmental groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list monarchs on the endangered species list.

Farmers are concerned about this issue and believe partnerships are key to finding solutions, Fredericks says. As a fourth-generation farmer and American Soybean Association (ASA) director, Fredericks has made collaboration a priority. He represents ASA on the Monarch Collaborative, a national group of farmers, scientists, conservationists and private-sector leaders working together to strengthen monarch populations and habitat.

“My philosophy is that monarch habitat and production agriculture can coexist,” says Fredericks, who participates in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and has partnered with Pheasants Forever to develop a seed mix suited to his acres, including Black-eyed Susans and other blooming plants.

Soybeans are the world’s top-produced oilseed crop, grown on about 84 million acres across the eastern twothirds of the U.S. With so much land in production, soybean farmers have great potential to impact pollinating insects.

Since 2014, Fredericks has added seven small areas of pollinator habitat on his land, from a 3.2-acre plot near a pond to 0.7-acre pollinator plot in a filter strip, which controls runoff. “That’s a win-win, since it benefits pollinators and water quality,” he says.

These practical solutions encourage more farmers and landowners to add pollinator habitat. Fredericks adds, “On most farms, between 3 to 15 percent of fields are consistently unprofitable. When you transform these challenging areas into pollinator habitat, you improve your farm’s profitability.”

Much of this profit boost comes from reducing input costs in low-producing areas that work better for native, perennial plants than row crops. These habitat areas also attract other species of butterflies, deer, birds and wildlife.

“In 2018, we saw more caterpillars and butterflies on our farm than ever,” says Fredericks, who shares his story at sustainable agriculture meetings across the country. “Pollinator habitat brings us a lot of joy.”

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

The Blank Park Zoo, which attracts half a million visitors each year, has been converting more of its landscaping from exotic plants to native plantings that benefit pollinators. In 2014, the zoo also launched a unique conservation initiative to help protect monarchs and other pollinators.

“The Plant.Grow.Fly. website provides easy, region-specific garden recipes to help you plant the flowers and grasses that our native butterflies and bees need the most,” Lowry says. “Once you plant your garden, you can register it with us. Then, send a picture of your garden and be recognized for your support for Midwestern pollinators.”

So far, the program includes more than 1,200 registered gardens. “I’ve never seen such an immediate, positive reaction to a zoo program like I’ve seen with Plant.Grow.Fly.,” Lowry says. “The monarch is like the bald eagle of this generation, and people want to protect it.”

Iowa is in a unique position to play a leading role in preserving habitat for these brilliant icons of the prairies, notes Schweitzer. Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and other states are also working on this issue.

She adds, “While it will require a sustained effort over time to help the monarchs survive and thrive, we’re on the right track.”

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