Butterflies Behaving Badly?

[Paul Cherubini]

Paul J. Russell wrote:

> The exhibit has done more
> to raise awareness of lepidoptera and entomology in this community than
> anything I have seen anywhere.  I suspect this will be very valuable in
> protecting our local Monarch overwintering sites from the depredations of
> developers.

Depredations? Not necessarity. Fact is all the 10-15 large monarch overwintering 
sites in Santa Barbara are man made made to begin with.  The butterflies
overwinter in clumps of Australian eucalyptus trees that were intentially
planted by developers as wind breaks bordering orchards, row crops and
also as ornamental plantings around industrial and residential developments.
Some groves were also planted for firewood and other lumber uses.

Ironically, areas of Santa Barbara (such as around Point Sal) that were 
never developed in anyway have no monarch overwintering sites.
The landscape in these natural areas is just treeless coastal 
prairie.

Conservationists are always trying to pit monarchs vs. developers
instead of acknowledging and rejoicing in the fact that both
can coexist. For example, one of the large monarch overwintering
sites in Santa Barbara County exists in the eucalyptus
grove the grows right within the huge Chevron oil and gas refinery 
complex at Gaviota.  Oil companies frequently plant eucalyptus as an 
ornamental landscape tree around the perimeter of their property. 

> The butterflies in the exhibit come from breeders, who raise them for
> that purpose.  Think of it, an opportunity for an entomologist to 
> actually make a living from something other than spraying crops!

Crops and monarchs can also coexist nicely.  The area of the USA
with the largest summer breeding population of monarchs is in
the upper Midwest.  Recent cutting edge research conducted by the
University of Iowa has found that 94% of the monarchs in Minnesota
and Wisconsin develop on milkweed plants that grow as weeds
WITHIN the corn and soybean crop. In other midwestern states the
percentage is also high - around 70% or 80%.  Prior to this finding
conservationists assumed most monarchs developed on milkweeds
growing in more natural settings away from crops, chemical
fertilizers and pesticides.

Paul Cherubini, Placerville, Calif.

 
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