NATIVE
AND NATURALS
Fall 2010
Monarch Butterflies
Migratory Monarch butterflies visit the Texas hill country
in the spring and fall, varying in number from season to season. One
migratory group travels from southern Canada down the middle of the United States
in September and October after spending the summer in Canada. They reach
Texas at our latitude about mid October and may stay for a week or so (depending
on weather conditions) before continuing their migration to the oyamel forest
hillsides of Mexico where they spend the winter. Monarch Butterflies cannot
survive in below freezing temperatures so migrate to a more favorable environment.
Monarch larvae use milkweed for food. Some of the butterflies may
remain in Texas and lay their eggs on the milkweed plants. Snow on the Mountain
is a milkweed and grows naturally in central Texas. Its abundance is apparent
in the fall. Adult butterflies need nectar for food and visit the native
plant flowers of the hill country when they are here. Salvia or sage are
native to the Edwards Plateau, are deer resistant, and attract butterflies. If
one has a butterfly garden, it is likely to contain a variety of native spring
and fall flowering plants. The butterflies also need water and find a suitable
habitat near rivers and creeks and may be seen in clusters on the cypress trees
in the evening and early morning hours.
To learn more about Monarch Butterflies, visit the web. Some sites focus on current fall migration sightings. The Monarch is the only butterfly that performs the migration. It is still somewhat of a mystery as to how they find their way to the same place with no previous knowledge. The butterflies that make the trip are a second or third generation and have never traveled to that location previously.
The Texas Legislature named the Monarch Butterfly the Texas State Insect in 1995.
The monarchs
were located at their winter home in Mexico as of October 28th. A few
were seen in Kerr County but no sightings were reported officially. The
word is that they went through Del Rio before heading into Mexico. The
time for the new butterflies to return to Canada is April. Sightings
will be reported again as they travel north in the spring.
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