Monarchs in Europe

[Paul Cherubini]

> Still, the imported or locally reared ones would interfere with those
> arriving in a 'natural' way. If you were to release some monarchs, you would
> order a hundred, more ? (Don't know the prices, but transportation costs
> would be almost the same for a 1000 as for 10)

No. the average bride orders only 12-24 monarchs. At funerals the number
of monarchs ordered is frequently the same as the age of the deceased
person.  Due to  legal and quarantine issues, monarch breeders
in the USA cannot ship monarchs to European countries for release at events.
I thought this whole discussion was about European breeders breeding and selling
monarchs in their own countries for release - not about European brides 
ordering from USA suppliers.

> The chances of catching an imported one instead of a 'real' emigrationist
> are much higher, especially if the releases get trendy enough. A couple [monarchs]
> reported on every year now against hundreds released (and to use some human
> arguments: they won't like it here: nothing to eat for their kids, different
> climate). They look better than rice being thrown at you, but that's not the
> question here.

In some years there are over a hundred monarch sightings in
the British Isles http://www.butterfly-guide.co.uk/help/monmig.htm
These major sighting consistently occur during late September and October
whereas most of the monarch releasing at events takes place during the 
period May-early Sept. 

> I think (in this case) it's right to say 'they don't belong here, keep them
> out!'.

> By the way: the monarchs living in Europe can only survive in human-shaped
> habitats. On the Canary Islands, the south of Spain and Portugal their
> larvae feed on plants only occurring in parks or hotel gardens. 

The milkweed growing in these parks or hotel gardens is Asclepias currassavica
 - a milkweed introduced to Europe from the West Indies.  Thus neither 
monarchs nor Asclepias currassavica is native to these countries. Would you 
favor exterminating the monarch and Asclepias currassavica from these
countries if it was logistically possible to do so because "they don't belong
there"?

Paul Cherubini

 
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