Monarchs and Monoculture in southern Michigan

[Grkovich, Alex]

They're still flying everywhere...I saw them at Pinkham Notch, NH (base of Mt. Washington) last weekend...

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu [SMTP:owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Paul Cherubini
> Sent:	Friday, August 19, 2005 1:15 PM
> To:	LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu
> Subject:	Re: Monarchs and Monoculture in southern Michigan
> 
> Roger Kuhlman wrote:
> 
> > I would bet modern, high-tech agricultural
> > practices have been greatly limiting the amount of Common milkweed growing
> > in our area. 30 to 50 years ago there was probably much more milkweed here
> > and many more Monarchs.
> 
> My point is that even in spite of modern agricultural practices,
> Monarchs remain spectacularly abundant in precisely the areas
> with the most intensive plantings of Bt corn and Roundup Ready
> soybeans;  areas such as southern Minnesota and northern Iowa:
> 
> http://www.saber.net/~monarch/gaylrb.jpg
> http://www.saber.net/~monarch/rf.jpg
> http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/olivia.jpg
> http://www.saber.net/~monarch/gaylra.jpg
> 
> And the monarch overwintering populations in Mexico have shown
> no pattern of decline the past 28 years despite the changes in 
> agricultural practices:
> 
> http://www.saber.net/~monarch/mexpops.JPG
> 
> Unfortunately, the news media isn't being told that Monarchs and 
> Painted Ladies are still spectacularly abundant in the areas
> with the most intensive plantings of genetically modified crops.
> 
> Instead, here's what reporters are reading on the internet:
> 
> http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws/index.html
> "Widespread adoption of herbicide-resistant corn and soybeans 
> in the last 5 years has resulted in the loss of at least 80 million 
> acres of monarch habitat...without a major effort to restore 
> milkweeds to as many locations as possible, the monarch 
> population is certain to decline to extremely low levels."
> 
> Paul Cherubini
> El Dorado, Calif.
> 
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