A PBS documentary covers the amazing 2,000-mile
migration of Monarch butterflies from Canada to the
highlands of Mexico
The North American Monarch butterfly population has
fallen by more than 90 percent as their primary food
source and breeding habitat are decimated by
glyphosate
Your help is urgently needed to help save the
Monarch butterfly; specific action steps are
provided
By Dr. Mercola
The Monarch butterfly population in North America is in
serious trouble. Their numbers are shrinking at a staggering
rate because so much of their habitat, the milkweed plant, has
been destroyed by destruction of grasslands for the purpose of
growing pesticide resistant corn and soy.
Milkweeds are critical to the Monarch’s survival because
they’re the only food source for Monarch larvae. The Monarch and
the milkweed plant evolved together over the centuries.1
Not only are milkweeds the primary source of food for these
butterflies and their young, but a bitter toxin in the milkweed
actually protects them from predators throughout their lifespan,
and Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed leaves. Fewer milkweeds
mean fewer Monarchs.
Milkweed is very susceptible to being killed by glyphosate,
the chemical in the herbicide Roundup that’s used prolifically
on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready™ genetically engineered crops.
Milkweeds that used to abundantly line the Monarch’s flight
path have been largely eradicated by modern agriculture.2
Not only are chemicals killing the milkweeds, but prairies are
being replaced by cornfields, and roadsides are being mowed
where milkweeds previously grew wild.
Experts estimate the North American Monarch population has
plummeted by 91 percent over the last two decades. In
1996, the wintering habitats of Monarchs covered some 50 acres
of the Mexican highlands, but last winter they occupied a paltry
1.66 acres—the lowest on record.3
At the population’s peak, in winter of 1996-1997 there were
one billion Monarchs, but only 35 million remain today. These
magnificent insects can only be saved by protecting their
critical habitat, and unless we act quickly, they face
certain extinction.
The Amazing Butterfly Migration
The PBS documentary, The Incredible Journey of the
Butterflies, chronicles the remarkable 2,000- to 3,000-mile
annual migration of these iconic insects from Canada to a tiny
microclimate in the highlands of Mexico. Only North American
Monarchs make this migration.
Their destination is an area of only 60 square miles in
central Mexico's Transverse Neovolcanic Range. The timing
couldn’t be more precise—the butterflies leave Mexico around
March 21st each year and begin trekking north on September
21st—timed with the equinoxes!
This schedule is so predictable that their arrival is a
highly anticipated event for the Mazahuan people of Mexico who
believe the butterflies are the returning souls of their
ancestors. Their arrival even marks a Mexican holiday, Dia de
los Muertos or “Day of the Dead.”
The migration is a marvel of nature, especially for a small
creature with such fragile wings. Scientists are still puzzling
over how they are able to navigate thousands of miles—whether by
Earth’s magnetic field or the angle of the sun or by some other
mechanism—and how they have such finely tuned internal clocks
that they can arrive en masse in one location on the same day
each year.
They can only fly when conditions are perfect... too hot,
they overheat. Too cold, they get sluggish and can’t flap their
wings. Rainstorms can be deadly.
They must cross miles of open water—the Great Lakes—in
constantly shifting winds, when they can’t see across to the
other side. They must cover 50 miles a day with predators
lurking everywhere. Danger also awaits them in Mexico, where
their forest habitat continues to shrink from illegal logging.
Since all North American Monarchs overwinter in a highly
confined region, one major winter storm could wipe out the
entire species. For example, during one winter when the
population was much more robust, a single storm killed off 75
percent of the Monarch population. We can’t control winter
storms, but we CAN curb pesticide application.
Restoring Native Grasslands is Critical for All Life on Planet
Earth
Nearly a billionpounds of Monsanto’s
glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup is dumped on fields and our
lawns each year.
The documented harmful effects of glyphosate extend not just
to critical pollinating insects, but also to
soil, plant, animal, and human health. It's becoming
increasingly clear that
glyphosate is doing FAR more harm than anyone ever expected.
Last winter marked the lowest Monarch count on record at a
time when other pollinators such as
honeybees, native bees, birds, and bats—vital to US
agriculture and therefore the nation's economy—also are facing
serious decline.
Monarchs do their fair share of pollination, especially on
corn.4,5,6
Genetically engineered (GE) corn now accounts for 93 percent of
corn grown in the US,7
so you can see how these butterflies can no longer avoid
Monsanto’s path of ruin.
GE crops are typically the most heavily sprayed, as “Roundup
Ready” crops are designed to withstand otherwise lethal doses of
this chemical.
This corn also produces its own insecticide, Bt, which is also
toxic to insects. Many equate modern farming techniques with
“progress,” when in fact many of our technological advancements
are now threatening to destroy us right along with the entire
planet.
There are major differences between
industrial farming and regenerative agriculture, and the
foods produced by the former cannot be equated to the foods
produced by the latter. GE plants and industrial farming
contributes to every form of environmental devastation, while
organic farming methods support, restore, and rejuvenate the
ecosystem.
Monsanto or Monarchs—Which Will It Be?
Bill Freese of the Center for Food Safety advocates
restricting the spraying of glyphosate late in the growing
season, when milkweed is flowering and more likely to be killed.8
Freese also supports measures to restore some milkweed plants
to farmland, noting that farmers and weed scientists have not
found milkweed to be much of a problem.
Of course, representatives of
Dow Chemical and Monsanto disagree. Monsanto
spokesperson Charla Lord is quoted as saying, “To a farmer,
milkweed is a weed that competes with crops in the field for
water, soil, and nutrients.”9
They will defend their chemicals to the bitter end.
Fascination with the Monarch is not enough to save the
species—you musttake action. The remainder of
this article will discuss several ways you can help save our
precious pollinators.
Action Step #1: Petition for Classifying the Monarch as
'Threatened'
The outlook is so grim for Monarchs that in August of 2014,
the US government embarked on a major campaign to save them.
Scientists from several organizations, including the Center for
Food Safety, filed a petition10
urging US Fish and Wildlife Service to classify Monarch
butterflies as “threatened” under the US Endangered Species Act.
This dovetails with a 2014 White House memorandum11
calling for a federal strategy to promote the health of
honeybees and other pollinators, by way of a multiagency
Pollinator Health Task Force. The petition also urges the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of
Agriculture (USDA), and President Obama to protect the Monarchs'
breeding habitat by halting the approval of Monsanto Roundup
Ready™ and other glyphosate-resistant and pesticide-promoting GE
crops. As noted by the Los Angeles Times:12
"Since federal glyphosate rules were last updated a
decade ago, its use has spiked tenfold to 182 million pounds
a year, largely due to the introduction and popularity of
corn and soybeans genetically modified to resist the
herbicide... ‘The tenfold increase in the amount of
glyphosate being used corresponds with huge losses of
milkweed and the staggering decline of the Monarch,’ said
Sylvia Fallon, an NRDC senior scientist. 'We are seeking new
safeguards desperately needed to allow enough milkweed to
grow... The good news is that butterflies are resilient and
can rebound quickly... All they need is milkweed on which to
lay their eggs.”
Action Step #2: Ask Retailers to Stop Selling Pesticide-Treated
Plants
If you live in the US, I would also encourage you to contact
your local Lowe’s store, either by phone or in person, and ask
them to stop selling
bee-killing pesticides and neonicotinoid-treated plants.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are a newer class of chemicals that are
applied to seeds and taken up through the plant’s vascular
system as it grows, where it’s expressed in the pollen and
nectar that pollinators consume. For contact information, see
Lowe’s Store Locator page.
Action Step #3: You Can Support Bee and Butterfly Populations
from Home
To avoid harming bees and other helpful pollinators that
visit your garden, swap out toxic pesticide and lawn chemicals
for organic weed and pest control alternatives. Even some
organic formulations can be harmful to beneficial insects, so be
sure to vet your products carefully. Better yet, get rid of your
lawn altogether and plant an edible
organic garden. Both flower and vegetable gardens provide
good honeybee habitats. It's also recommended to keep a small
basin of fresh water in your garden or backyard, as bees
actually do get thirsty.
In order to support the Monarch butterflies, consider
planting a locally appropriate species of milkweed in your
garden, on your farm, or wherever you manage habitat. You can
use the
Milkweed Seed Finder to locate seeds in your area. Whatever
you choose to grow, please avoid purchasing
pesticide-treated plants.
Cut flower growers are among the heaviest users of toxic
agricultural chemicals, including pesticides, so if you must buy
cut flowers, make sure you select only organically-grown and/or
fair trade bouquets.
Ideally, you'll want to grow your own pollinator-friendly
plants from organic, untreated seed, but if you opt to purchase
starter plants, make sure to ask whether or not they've been
pre-treated with pesticides. Keep in mind that you also help
protect the welfare of all pollinators every time you
shop organic and grassfed, as you are actually “voting” for
less pesticides and herbicides with every organic and pastured
food and consumer product you buy. You can take bee preservation
a step further by trying your hand at amateur beekeeping.
Maintaining a hive in your garden requires only about an hour of
your time each week, benefits your local ecosystem—and you get
to enjoy your own homegrown honey!
Copyright 1997- 2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.