RESTORING THE SPECTACULAR MONARCH BUTTERFLY MIGRATION

1) Dr  Lincoln Brower is the undisputed Grandfather of monarch butterfly science, conservation, and education and the only scientist to sign the petition to list the monarch butterfly under the endangered species act in 2014.   

Dr Lincoln Brower and the other 3 petitioners recommended households raise up to 100 monarchs a year for conservation and education by changing the petition from 10 to 100 on the last line of the petition . The link to that petition modification request is here: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/8ef0052a-9ec6-4eb5-8373-35e15f18d1e4/downloads/monarch-esa-petition-4d-rule_61731%20(1).pdf?ver=1705591291171

Dr Brower received his PHD in zoology at Yale University in 1957.  Professorship in 1976. In 1980 he moved to the zoology department at the University of Florida. On retiring in 1997, he moved to Sweet Briar College as a research professor.[9][10]

                    1A) A butterfly and moth collector from an early age, he began studying the biology of the monarch butterfly while a postgraduate at Yale in 1954, and became a world expert on the species over six decades.[11][12] He contributed to over 200 papers and 8 films, combining research, public education and conservation work. [13] Unlike some popular sources, Brower did not suppose the monarch to be in danger of extinction, though he agreed that its migration across America was threatened.

                     1B) In an interview Dr. Brower participated in a question and answer session after the petition to list the monarch had been accepted in 2014 and said this about listing the monarch under the endangered species act and handling and rearing monarchs. 

Q. Recent events, including your participation in filing a petition to list the Monarch butterfly as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, have brought unprecedented attention to the decline of the Monarch butterfly migration. Was this the honest intent of filing the petition–to bring attention to the situation rather than actually list it?  Or do you still believe that listing the insect as endangered is the appropriate approach to conservation?

Brower: Those involved in writing the petition had, I think, two goals:  One, to raise public and government awareness; and two, to generate funding of varied mitigation programs, private and public.
.
Q.  Do you still believe that listing the Monarch butterfly is the best option or have you changed your mind?

Brower: I did when I signed onto the petition and the evidence I have seen so far seems to be supporting that contention. I think we will have to wait and see what happens. It is possible that nothing we can do will preserve the Monarch’s migration and overwintering biology spectacle.

Citizen scientists like Catalina Trail were instrumental in piecing together the mysteries of the Monarch butterfly migration.    CataLina  was on the cover of National Geographic Magazine linked here:  https://images.app.goo.gl/Cgq5FMmYoF8FobFL6

Q. If the Monarch becomes listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and milkweed and physical contact with Monarch butterflies will likely be controlled, do you share concerns about the disenfranchisement of the citizen scientists and Monarch butterfly enthusiasts that have for decades been instrumental in unraveling the mystery of their migration?

Brower:  Appendix B page 162 (now 159) of the petition is worded in confusing legalese but states that citizen scientists’ participation and conservation efforts will not be restricted. I have recommended that the stated limit of ten butterflies per person be raised to 100.  

 Changing the petition from 10 to 100 on the last line of the petition (page 159) is all that needs to be done. The link to that petition modification request is here: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/8ef0052a-9ec6-4eb5-8373-35e15f18d1e4/downloads/monarch-esa-petition-4d-rule_61731%20(1).pdf?ver=1705591291171

It's obvious Dr Brower wanted the public to be involved in the recovery of the monarch migration through rearing monarchs and of course planting the habitat they thrive on.  

 Click Here:: "Craig the Butterfly Man"  You will find a full page of links about programs and websites that provide simple and  practical skills that you can apply immediately to save and increase the spectacular monarch butterfly migration

2)  Dr. Lincoln Brower, the Xerces Society, Center for Food Safety, and Center for Biological Diversity Petitioned the U S Fish And Wildlife Service to modify the original petition  to list the  monarch butterfly as threatened by asking that households should raise up to 100 monarchs each year for conservation and education without a permit. Dr Brower is the only scientist, conservationist expert, and monarch educator to sign the petition. Changing the petition from 10 to 100 on the last line of the petition is all that needs to be done. The link to that petition modification request is here: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/8ef0052a-9ec6-4eb5-8373-35e15f18d1e4/downloads/monarch-esa-petition-4d-rule_61731%20(1).pdf?ver=1705591291171

               2A) The Mid-America Fish and Wildlife Agency (MAFWA) 2023 update explains the 100's of millions of common milkweed stems that have been planted on the summer breeding grounds of monarchs in the Midwest and Northeast since 2018. The government tax dollar supported Monarch Joint Venture uses this program to promote monarch conservation and habitat planting to its 120+ partners. All of their efforts over the last 10 years has led to less monarchs in the monarch migration on their eastern range in North America.                  

                2B) Bayer corporation explains 500,000,000 common milkweed stems have been planted on the landscape of the Midwest between 2014 and 2020. Those common milkweeds are somewhat invasive and have all matured and sent out underground runners in every direction and are responsible for increasing those 500 million stems to over 5 billion stems if each plant sent out only 10 runners which produce additional stems.  Most of these milkweed plants have sent out many more than 10 stems and, of course, Their floss covered seeds have also established new plants everywhere. 

It was determined in 2015 there would need to be 1.3 billion stems planted in mostly the Midwest and Northeast to recover the monarch migration to an average and a sustainable 6 hectares overwintering in Mexico. At least three times that many new stems are established on the landscape now. The monarch migration can, however, recover substantially if milkweed is allowed to grow in crop fields where predators are fewer and can't establish colonies because these fields are plowed regularly. 

Of course with GMO crops and with glyphosate used to treat our fields to eliminate every plant except the crop this won't happen unless glyphosatesuse is discontinued and traditional farming practices are re-established across North America which includes the monarch's summer breeding grounds. Milkweed in crop fields has far less monarch predators on or near the plants because the soil was disturbed regularly with plowing  before no-till crops, not allowing for the establishment of predator colonies, etc.               

                 2C) The count for the overwintering in Mexico population for 2024 was .90 hectares, the second lowest count since records have been kept over 34 years. The average population overwintering in Mexico is, on average, been decreasing since 2014 when the petition to list the monarch under the endangered species act was accepted.                

                 2D) This program  of planting milkweed stems alone is not working to increase the monarch migration population. We can however use this abundance of common milkweed to increase the monarch migration population as explained below in the converting milkweed to monarchs sections. It's a proven fact through research that natural and UNNATURAL monarch predators are increasing and the number one reason the monarch migration population is decreasing. The University of Texas at San Antonio has determined through a 2 year study in 2016-17  imported invasive red fire ants are consuming 87% of the immature offspring of the monarchs returning from Mexico. A Top monarch scientist explains why lack of milkweed isn't causing the decrease in the monarch migration population.                

                 2E) Fire ants are consuming 87% of monarch immatures in Texas as described on page 12 of their research, before the migration gets to the Midwest and Northeast. Invasive imported red fire ant populations are increasing. The remaining 13%  of immature's are attacked by necessary natural predators leaving very few mature monarchs to populate the monarch's summer breeding grounds of the Midwest and Northeast May through August. These fire ants have spread throughout the warmer areas of California and continue to play a  a large role in keeping the monarch population down in the western monarch migration also. 

                  2F) Other fire ant studies have been done on these fire ants although those studies didn't include the 4th or 5th larvae instar stage of development or chrysalis mortality which makes those studies invalid.

3) The Mid-America Fish and Wildlife Agency (MAFWA) 2023 update has determined there is the opportunity to plant 271 million stems of milkweed in urban areas in the U S. Of course, some of that milkweed exists today. Page 26 of the MAFWA 2023 update text states here: "Although urban areas have traditionally been viewed as biological deserts, recent work has discovered surprising potential for biodiversity. For example, urban areas in the North Central and Northeast region may be able to add 29.8 – 271 million stems of milkweed depending on how current baseline milkweed densities are measured, which amount to 2 – 21% of the north core monarch conservation unit goal of 1.3 billion stems of milkweed (Johnston et al. 2019). Furthermore, the education and outreach possibilities of monarch habitat projects within cities can reach millions of people who might otherwise be unconnected to and unaware of the threats to monarch butterflies specifically, and the role of nature in cities more generally. General resources for implementing monarch habitat conservation and outreach can be found in the Field Museum, Monarch Joint Venture, and Pollinator Partnership. Additional resources can be found locally via state conservation agencies, state monarch & pollinator conservation plans, and local land trusts or nature centers. Though some resources in table 4.1 may apply to urban areas, there is room for additional urban-specific resources to support pollinator habitat in these areas. For example, Minnesota’s Lawns to Legumes program has completed over 670 projects and generated much interest (Gunderson)"  

                 3A) Below is linked a PEER REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC STUDY AND  RESEARCH DEMONSTRATING NATURAL AND UNNATURAL PREDATORS ARE THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF MONARCHS KILLING OVER 95%+ WHILE THEY ARE DEVELOPING THROUGH THEIR VULNERABLE EARLY STAGES  UNTIL THEY ARE ADULTS AND CAN FLY AWAY FROM DANGER.  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50737-5

4) With the involvement of monarch citizen scientists, these potentially up to 271 million urban milkweed stems along with billions of stems in accessible places can be used to eventually recover the monarch migration overwintering numbers to over a billion monarchs within a few seasons by implementing the proper programs in the summer breeding grounds to plant urban milkweed in monarch conservationists yards and following the science backed procedures taught on the RAISE MONARCHS page and LEADERS PROGRAM page found on our fast growing 300,000+ member organization of monarch conservationists Facebook groups website.  

                    4A) If planted in yards and vacant lots adjacent to urban residences with a water source available these milkweed stems and the monarchs produced with our monarch egg protecting programs are not vulnerable to climate change and/or natural predators although predators will be sufficiently fed by the immatures of the monarchs released eggs and feed the entire wildlife food chain. Monarchs and other pollinators are responsible for 1/3rd of our food.

                    4B) A similar program by Dr David James was created, researched and studied for many years actually creating a monarchy migration in the Northwest U S. The Dr James program can be reproduced on the monarchs eastern range starting in the 1st migration generation in Texas and the South in urban areas in peoples yards, on private and public property, on small and large tracts, and some southern states in April and May. 

Citizen monarch scientists can intervene in the 2nd generation of the migration in June and early July in the Midwest and Northeast when more citizen scientists using milkweed in their yards, science teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools involvement in their schools science rooms, using milkweed on school property on the monarch's eastern range of the Midwest and Northeast. This would allow the reared released monarchs to lay monarch eggs outdoors, in the wild,  that would develop and multiply in the wild, so the next more populated 3rd migration generation adults and the adults that develop in the next 4th migration generation that migrates to Mexico to overwinter, would multiply the migration and have all the traits needed to make the up to 3000 mile trip to Mexico, overwinter and return to Texas and the south to lay eggs and start the migration over again. 

                  4C) Doug Tallamy and his HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK has 10's of thousands of members emails that plant native plants in their yards in urban areas. Commercial growers can produce 16 and/or 32 plug flats of common milkweed and make them available to his members at local garden centers and/or sent through the mail along with or without a collapsible 2'x 2' x 3' netted popup hatchery habitat included with the plugs. Large growers and small growers with native plant production capabilities can ship the flats and hatcheries by UPS and Fedex etc directly to citizen scientists homes. 

                   4D) Monarch Watch has the Milkweed Market program that supplies milkweed flats to urban and rural conservationists.  

                   4E)  Fields of just common milkweed have been grown in the past to harvest seeds for their floss to make life jackets. When people practice the RAISE MONARCHS  program and an acre of milkweed is planted in the area, it gives urban citizen monarch conservationists a place to harvest common milkweed stems to feed their larvae for the program. This multiplies the migration. 

                   4F)  Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our program helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done personally.

5) Established Common milkweed is 2 feet high on the entire landscape of the Midwest and Northeast referred to as the monarchs summer breeding grounds (SBG) by June 1st and will feed one monarch larvae in the Midwest and Northeast from the second generation of the migration per 2 foot stem. (about 10-12 leaves per larvae) Common milkweed grows to 6 foot tall by July 1st on the SBG. Each 6 foot stem of common milkweed would feed a 2-3 caterpillars.     

Simply put a I -2 foot stem of milkweed with a monarch  egg on it harvested some time during the first few weeks of June in the MIdwest or Northeast and insert the stem in a cup full of water with a lid with a hole for the stem in the top indoors near a window and allowed to develop into an adult monarch and released, and if it is a female she will lay 300 eggs and only 5% will survive to adults in the wild, and will be responsible for adding 15 monarchs to the 3rd migration generation, and those 15 will be responsible for 15 which is 225 monarchs added to the 4th migrate to Mexico migration population. 1 female protected until she's an adult  increases the migration population 225 times or  by 225  monarchs going to Mexico in late August or September. If 1 million people raise 1 monarch and release it, the population going to Mexico would be 225 million monarchs  compared to 15-20 million monarchs overwintering in Mexico in 2023-24.    

IF 10,000 CITIZEN SCIENTIST RAISE 100 TO ADULTS FOR RELEASE IN 2- 2' x 2' x 3' Restcloud butterfly habitat hatcheries by netting a female they see laying eggs and introducing her in the hatcheries to lay eggs the numbers will be the same as above with only 10,000 participants in the program. Each participant will only need to harvest 100-2' stems or 50-6' stems to feed the 100 larvae. THIS PROGRAM WITH THIS NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS WILL RESTORE THE MIGRATION.    Of course, the number of participants will continue to grow and continue to increase the migration even more. 

Monarchs raised in the educational live butterfly exhibit in garden centers using the LEADERS PROGRAM after breeding in the exhibit and checked for OE, can be distributed to citizen scientists in the community to lay eggs in their hatcheries at home. After these monarchs are raised at participants homes and they emerge from their chrysalis and dry they can bring them back to the garden center in the hatchery they developed in to have a sample of 5 monarchs checked for OE and all of them can be released if those 5 are OE free. The hatchery can be disinfected at the garden center for future use and the citizen scientist can pick up the hatchery. 

 Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our program helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done

Much more on all of this later: Please read on.

5B) If the 271 millions 2' stems were harvested just in urban areas in the month of June and applied to the protecting monarch eggs to adults program by netting an egg laying female or collecting stems with eggs already on them and the eggs and larvae developed to adult healthy butterflies by consuming each stem, the increase would be 271 million monarchs and since half are females (135m) and they are released to the wild, that would produce 15 monarchs in flight stage in the wild for each female if she laid 300 eggs.                  

             5C) 15 x 135 million monarchs would be 2 billion 25 million monarchs added to the 3rd generation migration population. Those monarchs would multiply the same way, increasing the 4th generation of reared female monarchs which migrates to Mexico 15x. These numbers are the same if the plants were growing in the ground in a stand of common milkweed, covered with a milkweed supported proper light weight fine netting, male and female monarchs are introduced under the netting to breed and lay eggs, and the eggs allowed to mature to adults where the milkweed grows and monarchs are released when adults. This $189 enclosure will work to cover 100 growing milkweed stems and produce over 100 monarchs. Just water the milkweed through the side screens from the outside.

6) Our organization's youtube channel has many videos showing dozens of our beautiful pollinator plant beds and expanding botanical gardens and demonstrating the egg protecting protocol and the hatcheries we use for the RAISE MONARCHS and LEADERS PROGRAMS.

7)  If we're going to increase the monarch butterfly migration population we are going to have to become increasingly creative and proactive. With the expanding use of GMO crops, insecticides, and herbicides nature isn't natural anymore on the landscape of North America.

8) Farmers and other property owners could easily be destroying common milkweed on their property right now in fear of having restrictions put on their land if the monarch is listed as threatened and/or endangered under the endangered species act.

9) Just the monarch conservation Facebook group I founded has 23,000+ members and is adding over 1000 new members a week during this migration season. Our fast growing organization of dozens of monarch conservation Facebook groups website I founded has over 300,000 members. Each group is adding new members regularly. You can observe what's going on in these groups live right now by clicking on the above link. The group I founded is linked here and you can see what's happening live right now: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HowtoRaiseMonarchButterflies/               

                9A) Our growth in our monarch conservation Facebook groups members shows 100's of 1000's of citizens are interested in monarch conservation and protecting eggs that are laid and releasing monarchs.   We have hundreds of thousands of those members names we can contact to acquire emails from for newsletters and training for our RAISE MONARCHS and LEADERS PROGRAM .  The Facebook platform doesn't allow for much control over members and their rearing habitats, disinfecting their monarch hatchery habitats and checking monarchs for OE before releasing them to breed and multiply in the wild.                                     

                 9B) There needs to be a place in communities where monarchs are checked for OE and maybe the netted pop up hatcheries can be disinfected. Garden centers would be a great place to use as a hub for monarch conservation in communities across North America. 

We have an effective protocol for checking monarchs for OE  We have a proper way to disinfect hatcheries by completely submerging the collapsed hatchery in one part unscented household bleach and 4 parts water for 12 hours, removing and rinsing the folded hatchery very well and opening it to dry. 

We can have people in communities, preferably at a garden centers, practicing the LEADERS PROGRAM who will net the wild monarchs they see laying eggs on milkweed in their garden centers and develop a generation of 100+ monarchs using the RAISE MONARCH or LEADERS PROGRAM operating in the garden center and the garden center can make egg laying females available to monarch conservationist. The garden center can also make milkweed stems with eggs on them available at the garden center to conservationists  who want to protect monarchy eggs and feed caterpillars at home until adults are ready for release.
                      9)  Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our programs helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done

10) Protecting monarch eggs until they are adults and releasing healthy monarchs adds an average of 15 butterflies to the monarch migration in the next migration generation using the accepted 95% immature mortality rate and 300 eggs laid per monarch. The other 285 monarchs that are consumed by predators as immatures feed the entire wildlife food chain. The more monarchs we release the more monarchs we have in the migration and the healthier the wildlife food chain is including us. We teach the best science researched and peer reviewed method of protective  rearing.                       

              10A) Working with garden centers, nature centers, science teachers, etc. to build a data base of emails for monarch conservationists who are protecting eggs who can receive regular monarch conservation emails about how to check their monarchs for OE and/or where to get their monarchs checked for OE before releasing them, reminding people to disinfect their hatcheries or bringing them to get disinfected and hold public events around the country where monarch conservationists can gather are some of the topics for newsletters.                     

               10B) Using as an initial  goal of building a database of 500,000 monarch conservationists who are protecting an average of just 50 eggs at the same time in a 2' 2' x 3' hatchery habitat indoors near a window until they're adult butterflies and checked to be free of OE in the first generation of monarchs in their area in the summer breeding grounds starting the protecting process before July 15th  50 x 500,000 = 25 million healthy monarchs released to breed in the wild. Using half, 250,000 females laying an average of 300 eggs using a 5% survival rate to adult butterflies and released would add 15 x 25 million or 375 million monarchs to the 3rd migration generation that developed in the wild in the summer breeding grounds. When half of the 375m (females) 187,500,000 lay 300 eggs for the 4th and final migrate to Mexico generation developing in the wild, 15 x 187,500,000 = 2,812,500,000 of those eggs will reach the adult stage, enter diapause and start the migration to Mexico to overwinter. According to the MAFWA and BAYER numbers, right now, there are enough stems of common milkweed on the landscape on the summer breeding grounds than needed to support the 4th generation's development to the adult stage and migrate to Mexico.

11) Right now our monarch conservationist citizen scientists in our groups are finding milkweed anywhere they can in vacant lots or along roadsides, to raise their monarchs and/or have or are planting common milkweed or other species in their yards.  You can go look at our groups right now.

12) Milkweed stems planted from 2014-2020 in the monarchs summer breeding grounds of the Midwest by conservation groups with the help of citizens          

                 12A) These 500,000,000 mostly common milkweed stems have self propagated over the years since 2020 adding an estimated 10 stems per plant planted or 5 billion more stems to the 500m stems not counting new stems planted since 2020 and are not recovering the monarch butterfly migration population to an average of 6 hectares overwintering in Mexico. The migration population is actually decreasing.         

                  12B)  The Mid-America Fish and Wildlife Association (MAFWA) plan is the plan government supported monarch conservation associations are following to recover the monarch migration.          

                   12C) Monarch conservation funding bill information 2024. We are aware of the request - to increase USFS dedicated funding to $30M annually, a 50% increase. The place where this would happen is the FY25 Interior Appropriations bill. We are scheduled to consider that bill in the subcommittee on Friday, June 28th (2024). We will not see bill text/details until sometime that week at the earliest.  Here is the CJ for USFS/International Programs: When Rosa was Chair, she was able to secure a $3M increase in 2023.

House Republicans proposed a $2M increase last year (for FY24) but it was not included in the final law, partially due to the very tight caps imposed under the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA). So being able to maintain level funding was basically a win for FY24

13) A solution for increasing the monarch migration population is to Involve elementary, middle school, and high school science teachers, state and federal nature centers directors and volunteers, and U S Fish and Wildlife refuges friends groups in the monarchs summer breeding grounds protecting monarch eggs that wouldn't have achieved flight stage in the wild. I implemented that program in the 3 elementary schools in the science rooms in Branford, Ct. in May of this year. The science teachers learned how to protect the immatures until they are in flight stage and help students' parents learn how to do the same at home. This video teaches about harvesting milkweed for your hatcheries.

                13A)  Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our program helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done

14) In addition, the science teachers can involve students and their families in planting beds of milkweed with 32 count plug trays at their schools and in their yards at home and eventually harvesting milkweed stems when a partially mature 2 feet tall or taller to rear monarchs with or covering milkweed stems in their yards with netted portable structures and introducing breeding monarchs and allowing them to mature autonomously. 32- 6' tall mature common milkweed stems will feed up to 100 larvae to maturity.             

          14A) Each 6' stem of common milkweed harvested will be responsible for protecting 3 monarch eggs to the adult stage and if female, when released, each butterfly will be responsible for 15 monarchs added to the next migration generation. Of course multiplication will continue with the following generations.

             14B)   Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our programs helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done

15) Monarch Research Project Autonomous rearing powerpoint presentation . This is what their facility looked like in 2017 when I took videos.

16) New members in this monarch egg to adult butterfly protecting and releasing program will add an estimated 15 adult monarchs to the next generation of the migration in the wild for every female monarch released that wouldn't have existed without our intervention in the first generation of the migration in the summer breeding grounds. Next generations including the migration generation will multiply the migration in the wild even further.


17) The ensuing 2 generations would develop in the wild producing monarchs and multiplying the monarch migration population with butterflies with all the traits needed to complete the up to 3000 mile journey to overwinter in Mexico and return to Texas and the southern U S to lay eggs to start the North American monarch migration over again.



18) Unfortunately the vast majority (87%) of the monarchs returning from Mexico's offspring will be consumed by imported invasive red fire ants during their early vulnerable stages of development. Page 12 of this monarch research done by the University of Texas San Antonio is linked at the bottom of this email and can be found here. The 2018 final study report is the first link on the Texas state comptroller's office research list. https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/natural-resources/research/all-research/archive.php   There are other fire ant studies at this link that research up to 3rd instar caterpillars which don't include the 4th and 5th instars and chrysalis stages which is when most immatures are consumed by fire ants according to the UTSA study the first study listed. The A & M studies are incomplete and have very little value. 


19)The 13% leftover immature monarchs laid by the first monarch migration generation out of Mexico that are not consumed by the fire ants will be ravaged by hundreds of natural predators leaving few monarchs to populate the monarchs' summer breeding grounds. It's been determined the migration population won't have a large enough monarch population when the migration reaches the summer breeding grounds to multiply enough in the next 2 generations in the summer breeding grounds, to create 6 hectares of monarchs overwintering in Mexico which is the average number needed to prevent a possible extinction event in Mexico as decided by U S fish and wildlife. 


20) The possibility of an extinction (PE) event necessitates the intervention by 10's of thousands hopefully 100's of thousands of citizen monarch conservationists protecting more monarch eggs in that second generation of the migration than  survive to adult butterflies in the wild. In the wild it has been determined there's a 95% mortality rate in the monarchs early immature stages of development explained here: Invertebrate predators such as ants, spiders, and wasps attack monarch larvae on milkweed plants (Prysby 2004). Only about 5% of monarchs reach the last larval instar. Wasps have been observed feeding on monarch abdomens at a California overwintering site (D. Frey, personal communication), and fire ants have been suggested as a major predator of monarch larvae in Texas (Calvert 1996). Other research suggests that wasp predators may be sensitive to the chemical defenses of monarch larvae, and that wasps fed monarch larvae with high cardenolide concentrations had lower reproductive potential and more deformities in their nests (L.S. Rayor, personal communication) than wasps that preyed upon less toxic caterpillars. In a laboratory experiment, one lacewing larva was observed consuming 40 monarch eggs. Chinese mantids and paper wasps have also been observed preying on immature monarchs.


21) Remember, Dr. Lincon Brower and the other petitioners who requested FWS list the monarch under the endangered species act (esa) asked citizens to raise up to 100 per household per season even if the monarch is listed under the endangered species act. This change only requires the number 10 be changed to 100 on the last page and last sentence of the petition.

22) We can involve the Monarch Research Project (MRP) and their rearing program with some modifications. I helped the MRP get started. I helped them get started. This is what their facility looked like in 2017 when I took videos.

                       22A)  Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our program helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done

23)  The 'LEADERS PROGRAM'drop down menu item on our 600,000+ member organization of monarch conservationist Facebook groups website www.CraigTheButterflyman.com is one of the best ways to recover the monarch migration population by protecting eggs to adults and raising awareness of the benefits of planting for monarchs and pollinators. The Leaders program uses this educational live butterfly sanctuary exhibit https://www.quictents.com/products/25-x10-x7-large-greenhouse?ref=pzfcpaeo&variant=42040383340784


24) The LEADERS PROGRAM creates a positive relationship between citizens and monarchs.  If you can't touch them and be up close and personal with them they are beautiful, only elusive strangers who fly away when you get close. People love to help and watch monarch eggs become caterpillars; caterpillars become chrysalis, and chrysalis, become butterflies, and release them to pollinate and multiply.  We use this product for the educational exhibit https://www.quictents.com/products/25-x10-x7-large-greenhouse?ref=pzfcpaeo&variant=42040383340784

 25) An option would be Prides Corner Farms and their American Beauties Native Plants branding program could spread the Leaders Program to garden centers across Connecticut and quickly across the entire Northeast, and Midwest. They supply over 1000 privately owned garden centers across the Midwest and Northeast with native plants and are based in Lebanon, Connecticut and have affiliations with other large wholesale growers across the monarchs summer breeding grounds.   All growers of plants can be involved in this effort.            
                25A) The LEADERS PROGRAM helps extend the plant selling season for garden centers into July and August by drawing current customers and new customers to the educational live butterfly sanctuary exhibit experience. The plants monarchs and pollinators need are for sale in the exhibit and at the garden center and potential customers can see monarchs develop through their life stages and nectar on the plants in the exhibit which encourages them to take some home and plant them in their yards.

26) Prides Corner Farms could supply flats of "common" milkweed plugs, the most popular host plant for monarchs, and a variety of host plant plugs for other butterflies and pollinators to garden centers. They can also supply the native perennial nectar plants butterflies and other pollinators thrive on to garden centers and the garden centers that embrace the LEADERS PROGRAM

27)The wholesale plant suppliers will help their garden centers help their customers learn how to help monarchs and other pollinators through planting them in their yards, parks, public lands, and fields.   

                    27A)  Building a LIVE podcast audience on Youtube to engage citizen scientists in our program helps citizens become educated and more involved when watching others in our organization in different cities and towns across the monarch migration's range practice our simple effective programs to increase the migration population. We can ad live podcast recorded videos to an organizational Youtube channel.  I have a 300+ video YouTube channel with videos I've done over the years to help our members learn how to practice our programs. Obviously we can do more "professional" educational videos than the ones I've done

28) Connecticut's own Prides Corner Farms , the largest grower in the Northeast, is affiliated with and a leader among growers across the summer breeding grounds of monarchs and pollinators and influences the grower/garden center industry across the monarchs, and most pollinators' summer breeding grounds in the Midwest and Northeast. .

29) Maybe they will be happy to encourage and advise garden centers how to help us recover the monarch migration and pollinator population by planting the summer breeding grounds with native plants to recover all pollinator populations.

30) Growers across the state including Prides Corner Farms can supply the native plants to garden centers and part of that will be making available the educational live butterfly sanctuary exhibit to them along with the best way to rear the monarchs to put in it and turn their garden center into the gathering place for monarch butterfly conservationists in the community.

                    30A)  Garden centers in the monarchs and pollinators summer breeding grounds can be the hub for monarch conservation in their communities and sponsor events, meetings, and education at their business and be the supplier of the plants to the public the pollinators need to survive and thrive .

31) Of course the program can be promoted by the state to all garden centers in the state with the  guidelines for protecting wild caught monarch eggs until adults including inspecting mature monarchs for OE and how to disinfect their hatcheries regularly without singling out any grower or garden center to head up the entire state program. The state can have direct communication with all garden centers in the state advising them of the program. Monarchs can be kept in the educational exhibit until they breed, stems with an egg or eggs on them in small cups with lids and water in them can be shared with community members, and egg laying females can be shared with monarch conservationists in the communities to rear monarchs for release, and some are released. A few bred monarchs can be kept to lay eggs in the exhibit so visitors can watch them develop through their life stages into adult monarchs.

GARDEN CENTER PLANTS FOR MONARCHS AND POLLINATORS WILL ALWAYS BE FOR SALE TO THE COMMUNITY IN THE EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT.  The advantage of using American Beauties Native Plants is they have a wide variety and are in 1000 garden centers on the monarchs summer breeding grounds and can also be ordered online. Many people will use these native plants as stock plants and be encouraged to propagate more of the same plant to spread around in their community tyo establish urban habitat communities which will increase more awareness and action to plant more and more habitat.

32) Future monarch generations can be added to the educational exhibit at the garden center when monarchs are brought back by community citizen scientists.  Monarch conservationists in the community can be notified of garden center events by collected emails.

33) Of course the greatest advantage of the Leaders Program is it doesn't require tax dollar funding.   A small permit fee could be required to be a licensed garden center participant to offset administrative expenses for inspections, etc..  These are the exhibits we use for the program https://www.quictents.com/products/25-x10-x7-large-greenhouse?ref=pzfcpaeo&variant=42040383340784

34) Of course all of the states in the monarchs breeding range will be advised of our program including Canada and Mexico if interested. . 

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Sincerely, www.CraigtheButterflyman.com