Real or Imagined - Is the Tiger Swallowtail Gone?
By, Jackie Mae
Sifting through the layers of Joe-Pye Weed—its stalks were
upwards of eight feet high with a girth of approximately five feet wide. Where
were they?
This enormous bush had varying heights of blossoms. They were purplish little balls that clung to the tops of the stalks, sturdy and
strong. They beckoned the bees, moths, hummingbirds, and butterflies like bees
to honey. I searched for him, once I knew he was missing—everywhere. I searched
in the coneflowers, purple and pink, around the Rose of Sharon and Milkweed as
well. No, he was not there. Maybe resting in the butterfly house or the
butterfly puddle drinker, but he was not anywhere.
Not only was the Tiger Swallowtail gone, but the Monarch, Checkerspot, and Skippers were too. What was going on? Where once over 250
butterflies could be found resting and drinking in my garden, there was now
only one in residence. I was actually frightened. How could this be? Was it a sign
of something more disastrous to come? You know, how the animals seem to sense an impending earthquake days before it occurs. Was this somehow a natural
occurrence of nature? I set out to find out.
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica in their article, “The
Disappearance of Butterflies: Year in Review 2013”[1] two
butterflies, the Rockland Grass Skipper and the Zestos Skipper from South
Florida were most likely extinct.
The news got worse, according to Karen Oberhauser from the University of Minnesota; she puts a lot of the blame on Monsanto for herbicides such as Roundup being used across the U.S. and in Canada. Milkweed which is the Monarch’s primary food source, and one which could be found all across the U.S., has declined by as much as 80% in some places.[2] Combine this with a frost in Mexico that killed hundreds of Monarchs, to the ever increasing fallout from climate change, and you have a disaster of monumental proportions.
The news got worse, according to Karen Oberhauser from the University of Minnesota; she puts a lot of the blame on Monsanto for herbicides such as Roundup being used across the U.S. and in Canada. Milkweed which is the Monarch’s primary food source, and one which could be found all across the U.S., has declined by as much as 80% in some places.[2] Combine this with a frost in Mexico that killed hundreds of Monarchs, to the ever increasing fallout from climate change, and you have a disaster of monumental proportions.
Will I have to share photos with my grandchildren to let
them know how butterflies used to
look? And… what is next on the food chain to go? There are bound to be
ramifications. Why isn't the populace doing something about it I silently screamed? Maybe the majority of people were like me, too busy with the insanity
of global conflicts to notice that the butterflies were gone.
But, what can we do—you and me? There are any number of
sites that you can look up by using your search engine tool to find local
organizations that are raising awareness. Start your own group, use social
media, plant native plants for your area, don’t use harsh chemicals (think
before you spray), and help teach the little ones to be respectful and mindful
of their environment, so working together we can all help these amazing and
worth saving creatures.
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