The orange, black and white of a monarch butterfly’s wings is a fall staple for some as the insects travel through the state on its annual journey south to Mexico. But the monarch butterfly population declined 80% over the last 20 years. To combat the loss, the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative is collecting common milkweed pods through its annual milkweed pod collection program.
Now through Nov. 15, residents can donate common milkweed pods to soil and water conservation districts across the state to help increase the monarch butterfly population and habitat.
“Aside from what they do for us, it’s the magic of them as well that we’re losing,” said Amy Roskilly, conservation education and communications manager for Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District. “There’s so much in nature that we can learn from … and if we just keep driving them too extinction, well we’ve lost that wonder.”
Although monarch butterflies can eat many different kinds of plants, milkweed is essential for the species. The spherical cluster of flowers on milkweed plants are the only place monarchs will lay their eggs, Roskilly said, and the plant is vital for the insects’ survival early on.
Once laid, the egg will grow into a caterpillar that will live and feed on the milkweed until it forms its chrysalis, or cocoon, on the plant. When it emerges from its chrysalis a fully formed monarch butterfly, it then flies off to join others along the monarch’s annual migration pattern.
The migration begins with a new generation born in Mexico that begins the journey north toward Canada. However, Roskilly said it takes about three or four generations of monarchs before finally reaching Canada, and only a single generation with a longer lifespan to fly the 3,000 miles south.
“The [monarch butterflies] that are coming through our area right now are coming down from Canada into northeast Ohio,” she said. “They are laying eggs, and then this next generation is going to be the ones that go all the way down to Mexico.”
Once in Mexico, that same generation of monarch butterflies rests in oyamel fir trees through the winter. In spring, they begin the migration back north to continue the cycle.
Since the migration pattern requires so many generations, Roskilly said its important to have an abundance of milkweed so the butterflies have a place to stop and lay eggs that will eventually continue the journey.
“When you have an area that's fragmented, meaning that the natural areas have been torn out, these little creatures have to go farther and farther to find what they need to survive,” she said.
The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative began in 2015 and has collected more than 22 million milkweed seeds according to its website.
Butterflies and other pollinators, like bees, bats, and birds, play a key role in the environment as they move from plant to plant, Roskilly said. But, if the monarch’s habitat isn’t restored, the ecosystem could take a severe hit.
“One in every three bites we eat is due to a pollinator,” she said. “You don’t want to lose even one [pollinator] because it’s just a slippery slope down into more extinctions happening.”
Common milkweed is a hardy plant that can grow anywhere once it’s planted, Roskilly said. It even does well in yards or lots with limited greenspace.
“You can do a lot on a small area, and sometimes it's even more beneficial because it's a dense area,” she said. “If people are planting, then those … pollinators, and any butterfly, bee, bird [or] anything, doesn't have that far to fly to find its … next plant to feed on or shelter under.”
When it comes to harvesting the common milkweed pods, Roskilly said it’s important to keep an eye out for specific color changes.
Common milkweed looks similar to other variations native to the area, such as swamp milkweed and butterfly milkweed. Roskilly recommended looking out for the pink flowers on common milkweed, growing on a single tall green stem.
The pods should turn from green to a brown or grey, and the seeds on the inside should turn from white to brown. The pods should also be dry to the touch.
Residents should only harvest milkweed pods on their own property, or property where they have permission to do so, Roskilly said.
Once picked, the pods should be packaged in a paper bag and marked with the name of the county they’re coming from, and stored in a cool, dry place until they are donated. Pods can be dropped off at the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, or at any participating location.
After the pods are collected, the seeds nestled inside the pods will be processed, some through prison agricultural programs, before being planted across the state.
“[We’re] trying to just get as much as we can get planted where we can get it planted, and kind of piece back this fabric of habitat for them,” Roskilly said, “so when they are migrating either up to Canada or down back to Mexico, that they have what they need to be successful.”
The monarch butterfly hasn’t yet been officially declared an endangered species, but in July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature added monarchs to the Red List of Threatened Species, which Roskilly said indicates the species could be in trouble.
“They're not officially endangered, but they likely will be declared that maybe next year, or so,” Roskilly said. “So, it means they're in trouble and it means that that endangered label is on the way.”
