Across the state, visitors from the north are feasting on late-blooming native flowers and resting their wings in hospitable trees. Millions of monarch butterflies are flying south to overwinter in the forests of Mexico.
Oklahoma’s parks and gardens with tasty nectar from native plants offer ideal fuel stations for the species.
Jamie Mansell, a worker with the Federal Aviation Administration and volunteer with Okies for Monarchs, spent several evenings with the butterflies at Ruby Grant Park in Norman. The green space’s towering rows of Maximilian sunflowers have attracted the migrating species and human onlookers.
Standing between stalks of yellow, Mansell said she first became interested in pollinators like monarchs after accidentally bringing home a caterpillar.
“It was this overwhelming sense of curiosity, ‘What is all of this?’ And I got to watch that caterpillar go through its whole changing process, and when you see that, it's like a miracle to witness that,” she said. “And then to think that that could be gone, but then to know I can do something.”
Threats to the monarch butterfly have caused some gardeners to turn to native plants that house and feed the species, along with other wildlife. Growing pollinator-friendly plants can improve connectivity for migrating animals.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the eastern monarch population, which follows its migratory path along Interstate 35, has declined by about 80% since the 1990s. Habitat loss, insecticide use and extreme weather from climate change are among the primary factors. Protections under the Endangered Species Act were proposed by the agency last December.
A report from the World Wide Fund for Nature, known as the World Wildlife Fund in the U.S., showed eastern monarchs’ roosting area in Mexico had increased during their last overwintering season. The scientists involved in the project said better weather conditions aided the growth.
Still, the population estimates are significantly lower than in previous decades.
Katie Hawk, executive director of the Oklahoma Monarch Society, said it’s important to keep milkweed around during the fall migration. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the leafy plant.
“And if we all need to re-hear it again, why do we need our pollinators? Why are we doing this work? Because we want to survive,” Hawk said. “We need food. Every third bite of food we take requires pollination by pollinators on our food crops. If we don't have them, we're going to be struggling to eat.”
Pollinators like butterflies, bees, birds and bats contribute to the growth of crops that produce fruits or seeds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It estimates about 35% of the world’s food is assisted by pollination.
Hawk said protecting monarch butterflies benefits more than just the beloved bug.
“We're so fortunate to get to witness this migration,” she said. “We want to keep this migration going for generations to come. We want our kids, our grandkids, and other future generations to still have this experience.”
“It's a magical, magical species.”
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