Trees used by Monarch butterflies in California

[Liz Day]

> In areas of the coast
> where eucalyptus groves are available, the butterflies will almost
> always cluster on them instead of the locally available native
> vegetation.  This is a fustrating fact for the anti-exotic folks who
> seem to feel that natural selection should make the monarchs "want" to
> prefer native vegetation for roosting.
> 
> Another fact of monarch behavior that fustrates the "natural is always
> best" folks is that.... The concept that residential or industrial
> development inside a eucalyptus grove could enhance the butterfly
> habitat seems to be sickening to them.
> 
> This all seems to me to be a matter of our western society cultural
> conditioning. We are taught that we OUGHT to be sickened by such
> phenomena as a native butterfly prefering an exotic groves of roosting
> trees and OUGHT to think it is totally impossible for development to
> enhance a roosting habitat. 

No, Paul, I'm with you on this.  One has to look at what is *actually
happening* with the animals and plants, and the real pros and cons of
whatever action one takes.  For instance, there are people out here who,
when helping restore prairies, feel it is somehow wrong to use power tools
to cut brush and trees - they feel it's more natural to use hand tools. 
But you get a lot more restored with power tools a lot faster.  But then
you lose the badly-needed assistance of these people.  There are garbage
dumps and sewage lagoons that support huge flocks of water birds, some
rare, which you admire while holding your nose.  There are exotic plants
that make it possible for native bumblebee colonies to thrive during times
of the year that no suitable natives bloom (having been destroyed). 

BUT - I'm not just looking at the monarchs.  Obviously if you are just
concerned with the monarchs, eucalyptus sounds like the best.  But I'm
also concerned with the rest of the system, in which planting any more
#$%&@! exotic trees is a very bad thing.  Which outweighs the other?
 
My personal bias is still toward doing damn near anything to avoid
eucalyptus. 

In sympathy,

Liz Day   
LDAY at iquest.net 
Indianapolis, Indiana, central USA - 40 N latitude, zone 5b.