Monarchs and Monoculture in southern Michigan

[Paul Cherubini]

Carolyn King wrote:
>
> Paul,
> We have discussed this before. We all know that the Monarchs and Painted
> Ladies are migrants. They did not originate in the places you are
> photographing them.

Carolyn, monarch caterpillars are abundant right now
right next to the genetically modified crops:in the places
I have been photographing the clustering and nectaring adults
(southern Minnesota and northern Iowa) , plus countless thousands
of monarch chrysalids emerging everyday in these same row
crop areas.

Here's photographic proof:

Here's the Roundup Ready soybean crop monoculture and
a patch of milkweed at Lakota, Iowa
http://www.saber.net/~monarch/lakotac.jpg

Here's a monarch caterpillar on this same exact patch of milkweed
taken 4 days ago: http://www.saber.net/~monarch/lakotab.jpg

Here are monarch caterpillars I photographed last year
in August on this same exact patch of milkweed at Lakota, Iowa
http://www.saber.net/~monarch/larvaeelakota.jpg

Likewise with the Painted Ladies; the countless thousands
of Painted Lady adults in Iowa right now are in newly
emerged condition and the adults are not displaying
directional flight, hence it is reasonable to assume they
originated in Iowa

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/gilc.jpg

An outbreak of Painted Ladies also occurred in Iowa in
July - Sept 2003
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/plbestt.jpg

I do agree that the *parent* butterflies of these Monarchs
and Painted Ladies currently in Iowa & Minnesota did not
necessarily originate in Iowa & Minnesota.

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.

 
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