Posts Tagged ‘monarchs’
How animals survive the winter
Humans often hole themselves up in their houses to survive the winter in front of the fire with hot chocolate. However, animals have to survive the frigid chill outside in the elements, and they have different ways of dealing with the change in seasons. Let’s take a quick look at how these Iowa animals survive. Read More »
Read MoreWhy do monarchs overwinter in Mexico?
Most people familiar with monarch butterflies know that they migrate to central Mexico to overwinter. You can read in-depth how monarchs find their way here, but in general, they use their circadian rhythm to orient themselves with the direction of the sun and also use the earth’s magnetic field to fly toward the equator. However, Read More »
Read More2019-20 Monarch overwintering numbers released
Each winter, pollinator enthusiasts anxiously await monarch population numbers as eastern populations overwinter in the forests of Mexico. This winter, we have some less than ideal news as monarch overwintering numbers dropped by more than 50 percent from the 2018-19 season — going from 6.05 hectares of overwintering area covered last year to 2.83 hectares Read More »
Read MoreNative Iowa Butterflies and Moths: Monarchs and other brush-footed butterflies
Last fall, when black and orange butterflies were fluttering all around the area, many people were so excited to see the masses of monarchs in their yards. However, the butterflies weren’t actually monarchs. They were painted ladies. We may think we know all there is to know about monarch butterflies, but sometimes we have more Read More »
Read MoreFive decorative milkweeds to beautify your yard and help monarchs
It seems a little premature since there is snow on the ground and more in the forecast, but it’s the time of year that I start to think about planting my garden. One thing I’m really excited to plant in our landscaping are some native pollinator plants. When we moved to our house, it had Read More »
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