eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781943366309 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | St. Lynn's Press |
| Publication date: | 04/12/2017 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 87 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
Read an Excerpt
Project: Make a butterfly watering station
Much attention is paid to providing nectar sources for adult butterflies, but we know that they also need water and are drawn to locations that supply it. Providing an accessible source of water close to their preferred nectar sources will be just one more way to attract monarchs to your garden, patio, porch or balcony.
You may have seen butterflies congregating at the edges of mud and water puddles to suck up water through their proboscises. They may be merely getting a drink, but some may also be doing so with another important purpose: In large groups, they are nearly always males, engaging in the act of “puddling.” They’re gathering salts and minerals from the water that will become incorporated into the spermatophore (the packet containing the sperm that they transfer to the female during mating). These nutrients will nourish the eggs, increasing the health and number of eggs that a female will lay.
If you don’t have a way to help the monarchs by growing nectar plants or milkweed, this simple watering station can be a welcome refreshment for them on a hot summer’s day. ...
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 A Story 15
Chapter 2 Danaus plexippus 17
Chapter 3 Monarch Mimics 31
Chapter 4 The Miraculous Migration 35
Chapter 5 Laying Out the Challenges 45
Chapter 6 We Can Lend a Hand 53
Chapter 7 What's So Special About Milkweed? 67
Chapter 8 Predators at Large 85
Chapter 9 Are Monarchs in Danger of Extinction? 93
Ways to Help the Monarch: Projects for Everyone 99
Citizen Science Programs 101
Create a Monarch Waystation 105
Make a Butterfly Watering Station 109
Raise a Monarch in Your Home 111
Learn How to Tag a Migrating Monarch 119
Make a Monarch Bracelet 122
Make a Monarch Butterfly Ring 124
Stir Up a Milkweed Cocktail 126
For Those Who Teach 127
Epilogue: The Rest of the Story 131
Appendix 135
Glossary 136
Native Milkweed Species, Their Range & Status 140
Where to Buy Milkweed Seeds & Plants 144
Nectar Plants for Pollinators 145
More Milkweed Insects You May Encounter 146
Where Can I Visit Monarchy at Their Overwintering Sites? 149
Where Can I Donate? 151
Books, Films & Helpful Websites 152
Bibliography 154
Index 155
Acknowledgments 157
About the Author 159
What People are Saying About This
“Kylee not only shares her knowledge and passion about monarchs, but inspires us to join forces to preserve this important pollinator. She offers practical advice on how each person can make a difference to save this and other pollinators critical to our food supply and natural beauty.” ~ Melinda Myers, horticulturist, garden book author, radio and tv host of Melinda’s Garden Moments
“Thousands of insect species are suffering from habitat loss and pesticide exposure, but none is more precious to our collective psyche than the monarch. In The Monarch, Kylee Baumle guides us through the all-too-fragile lives of these breathtaking pollinators and their epic journey, and hands us the tools we need to make a difference for not just this imperiled insect, but those thousands of others.”
~ Jessica Walliser, horticulturist, radio host, author of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden and Good Bug Bad Bug
"The miraculous monarch migration must continue as a legacy for generations to come. This homage to the monarch helps guide the way." ~ Laurie Davies Adams, Executive Director, Pollinator Partnership
"Kylee Baumle is blessed with the magnificent obsession to be absolutely correct about everything she writes. Readers can rest assured that every fact within the pages of The Monarch has been subjected to the most rigorous research and analysis since Noah assigned seating on the ark."
~ Steve Bender, Southern Living magazine’s “The Grumpy Gardener”
“ The Monarch is a riveting tale of biology and conservation. The intricacies of the butterfly's life history, migration and overwintering biology are engagingly narrated and beautifully illustrated. Kylee Baumle’s lovely new book will appeal widely to schools, conservation folks, general readers and to the gamut of people interested in submerging themselves in what she richly paints as a noble cause, saving our most-loved butterfly.” ~ Lincoln P. Brower, Research Professor of Biology, Sweet Briar College
Kylee Baumle's passion for the monarch butterfly has inspired me to pay closer attention to making my own garden – and those of my clients – a haven for this gorgeous creature. Her valuable information, stunning photographs and stirring prose will inspire you to do the same. ~ Jenny Peterson,— landscape designer and author of The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion
"The miraculous monarch migration must continue as a legacy for generations to come. This homage to the monarch helps guide the way." ~ Laurie Davies Adams, Executive Director, Pollinator Partnership
“Kylee Baumle is more passionate about monarchs (and saving them) than anyone I know. How fortunate we are that she’s now sharing her years of study and monarch-saving wisdom from the trenches with all of us. I can’t imagine a better person to write this book!” ~ Joe Lamp’l, Producer and Host of the PBS series Growing a Greener World®
“Kylee not only shares her knowledge and passion about monarchs, but inspires us to join forces to preserve this important pollinator. She offers practical advice on how each person can make a difference to save this and other pollinators critical to our food supply and natural beauty.” ~ Melinda Myers, horticulturist, garden book author, radio and TV host of Melinda’s Garden Moments
Kylee Baumle's passion for the monarch butterfly has inspired me to pay closer attention to making my own garden – and those of my clients – a haven for this gorgeous creature. Her valuable information, stunning photographs and stirring prose will inspire you to do the same. ~ Jenny Peterson, landscape designer and author of The Cancer Survivor's Garden Companion
“Monarchs need our help now more than ever. All of us can do our part by planting milkweed and nectar plants. This book can show you how to help and protect the monarch butterfly population.” ~ Holli Hearn, monarch enthusiast and founder of “The Beautiful Monarch” Facebook group
“Kylee’s enthusiasm for monarchs flies off the pages of this fascinating book. Her explanations, photographs and illustrations will inspire both young and old to do all they can to provide a rich and nourishing habitat that will help monarchs thrive.”
~ Diane Blazek, Executive Director, National Garden Bureau
“Kylee Baumle is more passionate about monarchs (and saving them) than anyone I know. How fortunate we are that she’s now sharing her years of study and monarch-saving wisdom from the trenches with all of us. I can’t imagine a better person to write this book!” ~ Joe Lamp’l, Producer and host of the PBS series Growing a Greener World®
Interviews
I’ve been asked if it really matters if the monarch disappears, and whether or not we should care. The truth is that it does matter. There are reasons that we should care about this butterfly and they extend beyond the monarch itself. Perhaps the universe is using this beautiful creature to get our attention and draw us to more important matters. Maybe the monarch is merely the messenger in a world that is changing, and those changes aren’t always beneficial to the earth and those of us who inhabit it.
I remember as a child, seeing monarchs flying around my mother’s garden and my grandmother’s too – sometimes chasing them, though never catching them. To me they looked like animated jewelry among the static beauty of the colorful blooms. They seemed to be the perfect accessory to a well-dressed garden. Little did I know then that they had a greater purpose, as pollinators. And I was naively unaware of their astounding story of birth, growth and metamorphosis inside an emerald green chrysalis, hidden away among the plants.
It wasn’t until many years later – decades, actually – when I became what I call “a true gardener,” that I learned of the even more amazing story behind the monarch. Its autumn journey south to Mexico, to a location that was known only to locals until 1975, earns it the distinction of having one of the longest insect migrations in the world.
There is much to learn about the monarch. As a backyard gardener, like many of us, I’m learning more all the time. But even the most basic facts and knowledge about the monarch and its life cycle can be enough to draw you into its world and capture your heart. You’ll soon find yourself caring more than you ever thought possible about this summer resident of the U.S. and Canada that spends its winters in Mexico.