Crossing Over
Trip Holzwarth | November 2020
I grew up believing that I had a guardian butterfly. This was my family's version of having a guardian angel. When I tell most people this, they look at me as though I'm crazy until I elaborate on the story behind the belief. When my aunt was dying, a monarch chrysalis was gifted to her and placed on her bedside table. As she got sicker, the monarch pupae began to transform from larva to adult, just as my aunt transitioned from living to dying. In the final hours of my aunt's life, the butterfly broke free from its chrysalis. As it was stretching its wings, we noticed the absence of a black spot within the veins, meaning that the butterfly was female (Gillis, Jennifer Blizin). When she decided she was ready for flight, she soared through the open window. I’m not sure if this was the last thing my aunt saw before she closed her eyes for good, but I have always believed that this little butterfly carried her spirit and showed her the path.
A monarch's path depends on what season they were born into. The lifespan of a typical monarch is two to five weeks (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). The short lifespan forces adult monarchs' primary focus to be reproduction (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). Summer generation monarchs do this within the first week of their adult life and females will start laying eggs directly after their first mating (Oberhauser and Hampton). Adult male monarchs have the unique ability to force unwilling females to mate with them which helps to keep the monarch population stabilized (Oberhauser and Hampton). In the late summer and early fall, the final generation of butterflies make a mass migration to overwintering grounds (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). Overwintering grounds are a place for the monarchs to cluster in trees until temperatures and weather are livable (Oberhauser and Hampton). Once the conditions are optimal, they will once again migrate back to their breeding grounds. Overwintering monarchs are not reproducing so they can live up to nine months because they are conserving more energy, and the cooler weather slows their metabolism down (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). These monarchs will not lay eggs until spring.
The mass migration to overwintering sites is dependent on the location of the butterfly; eastern monarchs fly to Mexico and western monarchs migrate to California (SM. Altizer, KS. Oberhauser, et al.). I think my aunt would have liked the idea of flying five-thousand miles across the United States and into southern Canada (SM. Altizer, KS. Oberhauser, et al.). Being an avid watercolor painter, she would have loved the change in perspective of being in the sky. She had always had a gift for immersing herself in nature, and painting was the perfect tool to help her feel like was still there when she was too sick to leave her bed.
Monarchs' breeding sites are spread out all throughout eastern North America and Canada. The delay from overwintering makes it so Monarch’s must maximize their reproductive success (Agrawal, Anurag A). The long journey across the United States is made possible by the milkweed plant—females lay their eggs on the leaves and after hatching, the caterpillars will eat the leaves (Agrawal, Anurag A., and Hidetoshi Inamine). Milkweed is the only food source that monarch caterpillars can eat.
My aunt’s body slowly deteriorated from the illness inside her. Chemotherapy poisoned her body and made it into a vessel that was no longer inhabitable. The monarch butterfly’s habitat is something of a similar story; habitat loss and fragmentation has destroyed their breeding grounds and plants needed for their survival, leaving them with no place to exist and properly function. The first stage of the butterfly’s life depends almost entirely on the milkweed plant, so the continued stabilization of the species is in peril if breeding spaces are compromised. Herbicide usage has caused upwards of a sixty-eight percent loss of milkweed plants throughout the United States (Alana A. E. Wilcox, et al.). Monarch’s habitat and livelihood is lost to agricultural and city development, which has led to a steep decline in monarch populations in many parts of the eastern and western United States (Crone Elizabeth E., et al.). The development of land near and around overwintering sites are also big contributors to the loss of monarch populations because the species no longer has a space to wait out the colder months, and eventually dies (Alana A. E. Wilcox, et al.). Although monarch populations continue to plummet, their beauty remains a staple. My aunt was always in high spirits, even after long hours in hospital beds and years being sick.
Although my aunt will never come back, she still has her kids to carry on her legacy. The butterfly population stands a chance of coming back, but only if planetary boundaries are considered when creating the necessary regulations. These environmental boundaries will assist in preventing the general public from crossing thresholds that the earth cannot recuperate from. In order to properly do this, land use should be monitored by local management services as a way to restore the milkweed population (Crone Elizabeth E., et al.). The ecological limitations faced by monarch butterflies is shared by other migratory species that rely on various ecosystems to support their populations (Agrawal, Anurag A., and Hidetoshi Inamine).
The death of my aunt left a hole in my family and is something that we will continue to mourn for the rest of our lives. Constantly seeing these monarch butterflies has continued to give us hope that she is still around us in some form, and watching over us with love and care. With how vital these phenomena are to the species, migration and overwintering of the monarch butterfly allows the population to thrive and reproduce. The fragmentation and loss of their habitat has caused their population numbers to decline, and will continue to do so unless serious action is taken to conserve their habitats and enforce stricter guidelines so that the conservation is not short lived. The use of planetary boundaries will not only help to preserve monarchs, but all species that we share our home planet with.
Sources
Alana A. E. Wilcox, et al. An Evaluation of Studies on the Potential Threats Contributing to the Decline of Eastern Migratory North American Monarch Butterflies (Danaus Plexippus). 2019. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00099.
Agrawal, Anurag A. Monarchs and Milkweed: a Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution. Princeton University Press, 2017.
Agrawal, Anurag A., and Hidetoshi Inamine. Mechanisms behind the Monarch’s Decline. 2018. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1126/science.aat5066.
Crone Elizabeth E., et al. “Why Are Monarch Butterflies Declining in the West? Understanding the Importance of Multiple Correlated Drivers.” Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, vol. 100, no. 4, 2019, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.26775570&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Gillis, Jennifer Blizin. Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly : Readers for Writers, Fluent. Rourke Educational Media, 2003. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbbd&AN=edsbbd.c210fc52.3750.4835.b8e0.ffead63a1c54&site=eds-live&scope=site.
“MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring - Appendix A: Monarch Biology and Ecology.” US Official News, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgin&AN=edsgcl.584894745&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Oberhauser, Karen S, and Rachel Hampton. “The Relationship between Mating and Oogenesis in Monarch Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Danainae).” Experts@Minnesota, Springer New York, 26 June 2015, experts.umn.edu/en/publications/the-relationship-between-mating-and-oogenesis-in-monarch-butterfl.
SM. Altizer, KS. Oberhauser, et al. “Recruitment, Survival, and Parasitism of Monarch Butterflies ( Danaus Plexippus ) in Milkweed Gardens and Conservation Areas.” Journal of Insect Conservation, Springer International Publishing, 1 Jan. 1999, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-018-0102-8.
Trip Holzwarth | November 2020
I grew up believing that I had a guardian butterfly. This was my family's version of having a guardian angel. When I tell most people this, they look at me as though I'm crazy until I elaborate on the story behind the belief. When my aunt was dying, a monarch chrysalis was gifted to her and placed on her bedside table. As she got sicker, the monarch pupae began to transform from larva to adult, just as my aunt transitioned from living to dying. In the final hours of my aunt's life, the butterfly broke free from its chrysalis. As it was stretching its wings, we noticed the absence of a black spot within the veins, meaning that the butterfly was female (Gillis, Jennifer Blizin). When she decided she was ready for flight, she soared through the open window. I’m not sure if this was the last thing my aunt saw before she closed her eyes for good, but I have always believed that this little butterfly carried her spirit and showed her the path.
A monarch's path depends on what season they were born into. The lifespan of a typical monarch is two to five weeks (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). The short lifespan forces adult monarchs' primary focus to be reproduction (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). Summer generation monarchs do this within the first week of their adult life and females will start laying eggs directly after their first mating (Oberhauser and Hampton). Adult male monarchs have the unique ability to force unwilling females to mate with them which helps to keep the monarch population stabilized (Oberhauser and Hampton). In the late summer and early fall, the final generation of butterflies make a mass migration to overwintering grounds (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). Overwintering grounds are a place for the monarchs to cluster in trees until temperatures and weather are livable (Oberhauser and Hampton). Once the conditions are optimal, they will once again migrate back to their breeding grounds. Overwintering monarchs are not reproducing so they can live up to nine months because they are conserving more energy, and the cooler weather slows their metabolism down (MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring). These monarchs will not lay eggs until spring.
The mass migration to overwintering sites is dependent on the location of the butterfly; eastern monarchs fly to Mexico and western monarchs migrate to California (SM. Altizer, KS. Oberhauser, et al.). I think my aunt would have liked the idea of flying five-thousand miles across the United States and into southern Canada (SM. Altizer, KS. Oberhauser, et al.). Being an avid watercolor painter, she would have loved the change in perspective of being in the sky. She had always had a gift for immersing herself in nature, and painting was the perfect tool to help her feel like was still there when she was too sick to leave her bed.
Monarchs' breeding sites are spread out all throughout eastern North America and Canada. The delay from overwintering makes it so Monarch’s must maximize their reproductive success (Agrawal, Anurag A). The long journey across the United States is made possible by the milkweed plant—females lay their eggs on the leaves and after hatching, the caterpillars will eat the leaves (Agrawal, Anurag A., and Hidetoshi Inamine). Milkweed is the only food source that monarch caterpillars can eat.
My aunt’s body slowly deteriorated from the illness inside her. Chemotherapy poisoned her body and made it into a vessel that was no longer inhabitable. The monarch butterfly’s habitat is something of a similar story; habitat loss and fragmentation has destroyed their breeding grounds and plants needed for their survival, leaving them with no place to exist and properly function. The first stage of the butterfly’s life depends almost entirely on the milkweed plant, so the continued stabilization of the species is in peril if breeding spaces are compromised. Herbicide usage has caused upwards of a sixty-eight percent loss of milkweed plants throughout the United States (Alana A. E. Wilcox, et al.). Monarch’s habitat and livelihood is lost to agricultural and city development, which has led to a steep decline in monarch populations in many parts of the eastern and western United States (Crone Elizabeth E., et al.). The development of land near and around overwintering sites are also big contributors to the loss of monarch populations because the species no longer has a space to wait out the colder months, and eventually dies (Alana A. E. Wilcox, et al.). Although monarch populations continue to plummet, their beauty remains a staple. My aunt was always in high spirits, even after long hours in hospital beds and years being sick.
Although my aunt will never come back, she still has her kids to carry on her legacy. The butterfly population stands a chance of coming back, but only if planetary boundaries are considered when creating the necessary regulations. These environmental boundaries will assist in preventing the general public from crossing thresholds that the earth cannot recuperate from. In order to properly do this, land use should be monitored by local management services as a way to restore the milkweed population (Crone Elizabeth E., et al.). The ecological limitations faced by monarch butterflies is shared by other migratory species that rely on various ecosystems to support their populations (Agrawal, Anurag A., and Hidetoshi Inamine).
The death of my aunt left a hole in my family and is something that we will continue to mourn for the rest of our lives. Constantly seeing these monarch butterflies has continued to give us hope that she is still around us in some form, and watching over us with love and care. With how vital these phenomena are to the species, migration and overwintering of the monarch butterfly allows the population to thrive and reproduce. The fragmentation and loss of their habitat has caused their population numbers to decline, and will continue to do so unless serious action is taken to conserve their habitats and enforce stricter guidelines so that the conservation is not short lived. The use of planetary boundaries will not only help to preserve monarchs, but all species that we share our home planet with.
Sources
Alana A. E. Wilcox, et al. An Evaluation of Studies on the Potential Threats Contributing to the Decline of Eastern Migratory North American Monarch Butterflies (Danaus Plexippus). 2019. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00099.
Agrawal, Anurag A. Monarchs and Milkweed: a Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution. Princeton University Press, 2017.
Agrawal, Anurag A., and Hidetoshi Inamine. Mechanisms behind the Monarch’s Decline. 2018. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1126/science.aat5066.
Crone Elizabeth E., et al. “Why Are Monarch Butterflies Declining in the West? Understanding the Importance of Multiple Correlated Drivers.” Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, vol. 100, no. 4, 2019, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.26775570&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Gillis, Jennifer Blizin. Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly : Readers for Writers, Fluent. Rourke Educational Media, 2003. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbbd&AN=edsbbd.c210fc52.3750.4835.b8e0.ffead63a1c54&site=eds-live&scope=site.
“MCSP Monarch and Plant Monitoring - Appendix A: Monarch Biology and Ecology.” US Official News, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgin&AN=edsgcl.584894745&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Oberhauser, Karen S, and Rachel Hampton. “The Relationship between Mating and Oogenesis in Monarch Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Danainae).” Experts@Minnesota, Springer New York, 26 June 2015, experts.umn.edu/en/publications/the-relationship-between-mating-and-oogenesis-in-monarch-butterfl.
SM. Altizer, KS. Oberhauser, et al. “Recruitment, Survival, and Parasitism of Monarch Butterflies ( Danaus Plexippus ) in Milkweed Gardens and Conservation Areas.” Journal of Insect Conservation, Springer International Publishing, 1 Jan. 1999, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-018-0102-8.