The annual migration of monarch butterflies, a welcome sight in Oklahoma, has seen a significant decrease in participants due to habitat loss caused by humans.
SEE ALSO: Colby Thelen details journey to Mexico to document declining Monarch population
Conservationists here in Oklahoma say monarch butterflies are what is known as an “umbrella species.”
“Monarchs matter because they are not just this iconic symbol, and they’re important for culture, but scientifically they are an important pollinator,” Oklahoma City Zoo Conservation Scientist Emily Geest said. “They’re an umbrella species. So, when you make habitat for them, you make habitat for other pollinators that need habitat as well.”
Geest says, though the population appears to have been rising slightly after being in decline for 30 years, conservation efforts are important to keep up the trend.
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“This year the numbers seem better than what they were in the past,” Geest said. “We’re still not at a good number.”
The Oklahoma Monarch & Pollinator Collective (OMPC), a statewide initiative involving cities, Tribal nations, state agencies and nonprofits, seeks to remedy this by implementing programs that would help the state’s resident monarch butterfly population to flourish.
What threats do monarch butterflies face?
According to OMPC, the presence of the eastern monarch butterfly population in Mexico’s oyamel fir forests this past winter, a common end destination for their annual migration, decreased by 59.3% compared to the previous year.
The OMPC says, according to the most recent survey released by the World Wildlife Fund, monarch butterflies occupied 0.9 hectares in the oyamel fir forests, 1.31 hectares less than the 2.21 hectares in the 2022-2023 overwintering season.
Image Provided By: Monarch Joint Venture
For the first time since the 2013-2014 overwintering season, the organization says, the eastern monarch population has occupied less than one hectare.
For reference, a hectare occupies an area equivalent to 10,000 square metres (10,000 m2).
What can be done to help monarchs?
The organization Okies for Monarchs, one of the more than 60 stakeholders in the Oklahoma Monarch & Pollinator Collaborative, says one of the simplest ways Oklahomans can help is by creating a habitat for them to rest and find adequate food sources while they journey southward.
Okies for Monarchs Executive Director Katie Hawk says initiatives dedicated to saving monarch butterflies can help entire ecosystems.
“From an education perspective, Monarchs are a poster child for nature,” Hawk said. “When we’re helping, when we’re investing ourselves in conservation efforts to help monarchs, we’re helping all of nature.”
Hawk also says conservation efforts are more important than ever, as currently, the number of monarch butterflies is among the lowest recorded in the past decade.
‘Unfortunately, it’s pretty dire,” Hawk said. “Their population numbers represent other population numbers as well. They’re like the canary in the coal mine.”
RELATED: How do I plant a monarch butterfly garden with native plants?
Making a safe home for butterflies
One of the best specimens you can add to your garden is milkweed, a commonly available flowering plant that monarchs use not only for feeding, but also as host plants to house their larvae.
By providing a proper source of nutrition and a safe place to grow their young, adding milkweed to your garden is a practical way to contribute your efforts to ensuring monarch butterflies last for years to come.
In addition to milkweed, Okies for Monarchs says other nectar plants native to Oklahoma are just as good.
You can visit the Okies for Monarchs web page to learn more about what plants to add to your garden.
In addition to native plants, Okies for Monarchs says that though native plants are best, since they require the least maintenance and are also beneficial to other types of native pollinators that are in decline, it is also just as fine to plant non-native nectar plants. The organization says single-flowered varieties are best for butterflies.
Local conservationists, like Codi Waters, a native plant expert at Prairie Wind Nursery in Noble, say having variety in your garden can be beneficial, as each flower will bloom at a different time.
“They all bloom at different times, so you can have your garden ever-changing,” says Waters. “[There are] different things that blast off in the spring and have things that pop up all season long. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s fun when you can master that color change in your garden.”
The most important part to remember, Waters says, is to purchase plants from nurseries that do not use systemic insecticides or any other pesticides on their plants.
“You really want to find somebody that is not using neonicotinoids because that is really important,” says Waters. “It’s a chemical that a lot of box stores will spray on the plants to keep pests away, which is great, but it really harms our pollinators.”
Reporting any monarch butterfly sightings
Okies for Monarchs says to properly understand the migration, the organization relies on the help of citizen scientists.
In addition to supporting habitats of monarch butterflies, the organization says ordinary Oklahomans can help to collect data during all phases of the annual life cycle.
The easiest way to assist is by reporting sightings of monarch butterflies along their migratory path to ensure researchers can have the newest, most impactful data available to them
Okies for Monarchs has a way to sign up to become a proper butterfly reporter.
Contributing to conservation programs
Okies for Monarchs says another easy way to help others from the comfort of your own home is simply contributing to a local conservation effort, whether it is a one-time donation or a monthly gift.
Additionally, purchasing an official State of Oklahoma “Save the Monarchs” license plate or the organization’s native wildflower seed mix can help support conservation efforts across the state.
SEE ALSO: ‘Save The Monarchs’ License Plate Available For Pre-Order
You can watch Monarch Migration on News 9 on Wednesday, September 10, at 6:30 p.m.
