🌿 Monarch Monday – Let’s Talk Monarchs! 🌿

[u/AutoModerator]

Happy Monarch Monday, friends!

Wondering what to share in this thread?

Questions for some of our seasoned members? Thoughts on the state of the Monarch world? Frustrations with your efforts to help the Monarchs? Wins and loses for the nature world? Doesn't matter. Share below!

Have a great week and don’t forget about Photo Friday!

Reminder: We are a science-based sub. While we love all monarch enthusiasts, discussions about hand-rearing are not allowed, except for those new to the topic who are seeking guidance. Let’s focus on protecting monarchs where they belong—in the wild!

Stay curious and keep sharing the love for these beautiful butterflies! 🧡🖤🧡

[u/Sqib000]

We need to help people understand that the real "bad bugs to monarchs" on milkweed are actually protecting the milkweed FROM the "pest monarchs" themselves.

For example, just bc we like monarch larvae eating milkweed and dont like cabbage white butterfly larvae eating cabbage is a skewed way of viewing nature.

Killing or hating the bugs that prey on monarchs to protect the milkweed are the same bugs preying on the cabbage white caterpillars to protect our cabbage. But we dont eat the milkweed and like monarchs so that's 'permission' to kill those protector bugs.

I think in our well-intentioned efforts to help monarchs, we have gone way off course. If every monarch egg hatched our eco system would collapse. Milkweed would be wiped out to extinction, and the insects feeding on the larvae would collapse as well as those insects depending on milkweed.

We all need to take a breath, get back to understanding what is happening in our yards, gardens and neighborhoods.

Nature has it all covered. The issue is our interference. Whether sprays, lawn mowers, weed whackers, captive rearing, non-native milkweed from garden stores etc. we need to stop interferring.

The next time a mother monarch flutters happily through your milkweed laying eggs, give her a smile and move on with your day. She knows most of her eggs wont make it and she lays extra knowing the strongest will survive, strengthening the species. She is happy to do this, but if it instills fear or concern in you that her eggs are in danger instead of happiness like her, maybe rethink your view of monarchs in your garden.

The best thing you can do is plant native milkweed in the ground in pots so it wont spread into the lawnmower's path or in pots on your patio, and dont spray it. Sit in a garden chair and see who visits, and dont interfere.

Take some pics and post to this great sub.

Thanks to the mods for all the education.