Monarch Moments are Happening in Milwaukee

There is just something special about monarch butterflies. It does not matter your age, where you come from or what you are currently doing, if a monarch flutters past you, you will watch it go by (and if you are like me, point and yell to everyone around you that a monarch butterfly has entered our presence).

Starting in spring and continuing throughout the summer, monarch butterflies begin laying eggs on milkweed. Monarchs desire milkweed due to its sap that larvae will feast upon once they are hatched. Milkweed is the go-to banquet because its sap, poisonous to humans and other predators, will ultimately help turn the monarchs toxic, as a defense mechanism.

Realizing the monarch lifecycle was currently happening all around me, I spent the month of June into the first week of July on the hunt to spot my first monarch egg. These off-white, dome-like structures that are found most commonly on the underside of milkweed leaves, were my El Dorado. It did not matter what activity I was involved with at work, if there was a milkweed plant, I had to inspect its leaves.

There are multiple reasons why I became so enthralled with monarchs and their eggs. Simply put, who does not love seeing a beautiful monarch float by? Secondly, monarchs are seeing a massive population decline, which does not bode well considering their generational lifecycle includes a journey from Southern Canada to Mexico and back. Seeing a species pass by within a few feet that you know is trying their best to hold on, is captivating. Lastly, it truly blows my mind that something as magnificent as a monarch butterfly begins its life in an egg the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen.

As someone learning to love insects, when seeing a monarch egg my initial reaction is, “Oh! Look at that cute little guy!” versus a spider egg which would probably not receive the same enthusiasm.

Alas, in the second week of July, I spotted my first monarch egg. The true joy that filled my body upon spotting it was truly unlike anything I had experienced in nature. The more time you spend outside observing the natural world function, the more you start to take in how exciting every small creature’s lifecycle is. On this specific day, the group I was leading on the monarch egg and larvae hunt spotted over a dozen monarch eggs and a handful of larvae (caterpillars). Not only did it warm my heart to witness something so special, but it is worth acknowledging the work that the Urban Ecology Center is doing to restore habitats that monarchs are thriving in.

Due to the generous donations from the Urban Ecology Center’s (UEC) supporters, the Research Team at the UEC will have the opportunity to put radio trackers on monarchs found in Milwaukee this fall. Upon analysis, these trackers will provide firsthand information on monarch migration and habitat preferences as they make their journey from Milwaukee to Mexico.

On top of this special tagging event, monarchs provide an opportunity for the UEC Outdoor Leaders program to gain experience in conducting research surveys. Throughout the summer, the Outdoor Leaders, which is a group of high school students, will guide the public through monarch larvae surveys to further track monarch activity among the native milkweed plants at the three UEC locations.

As a strong indicator species of a healthy environment, studying monarch activity provides a good barometer to UEC’s Land Management Team that the habitats they are restoring are heading in the right direction.

Learn more about the lifecycle of monarchs here!