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Questions and Answers:Q. I've noticed more butterflies this fall than at any other time of the year. Is that normal for our area? A. Fall is our butterfly season. The Giant Swallowtail, the Black swallowtail, the Pipevine swallowtail, the Sulphurs and countless others are making their last stand before winter. Some Butterflies are migrating through and will increase in numbers over the next few weeks. The most famous fall visitor is the Monarch. The Monarch butterfly migration route goes right over Milam County. After several years of decline in the Monarch population, the numbers seem to be increasing. Just about anyone who lives around here has probably seen their share of the orange butterfly with black patterns on its wings lately. If you planted lots of butterfly friendly plants that bloom in the fall such as asclepias or butterfly weed, lantana, zinnias, cosmos, porter weed, or salvia, you should be rewarded right now with lots of butterfly sightings. The butterfly migration involves millions of monarchs from Canada, whose migration pattern is shaped like a cone as it progresses over Texas. They are on their way to the volcanic mountains of central Mexico. It wasn't until 1975 that the wintering ground was discovered as it was kept a secret by Mexican villagers for centuries. Disease and logging practices continue to threaten the wintering grounds, but public awareness and tourist dollars are helping to encourage the people who live there to provide some protection for the butterflies. Once they arrive at the wintering site, they cluster by the millions in trees that grow under the right conditions for the monarchs. This includes foggy, damp and cool weather that is just above freezing. The cooler weather is important because it makes their body processes or metabolism slow down so they don't have to look for nutrition during the winter. The foggy conditions provide the moisture the butterflies need to survive. The wintering sites are 10,000 feet above sea level and involve a very small area. The last two weeks of March bring the Monarchs back to east Central Texas as the female butterflies look for one of the 14 varieties of native Texas milkweed (asclepias) on which to lay eggs. A variety of native milkweed is blooming at some time all summer. That is why preserving natural space is so important in Milam County and surrounding areas. After laying their eggs, the monarchs that over wintered in Mexico soon die. The orange and black caterpillars grow rapidly, metamorphose, and lay eggs to begin the cycle again. The monarchs born in the spring and summer only live a short while, three to five weeks, while the monarchs born in the fall live the 9 months it takes to migrate to Mexico and back. Since each female lays hundreds of eggs, the southern U.S. is repopulated every year with lots of the beautiful monarchs. Q. I know certain garden plants such as lantana are good for butterflies, but are there any trees that they like? A. Yes, and they aren't all blooming trees. Many times the larvae eat the new leaves in the spring. Butterfly friendly trees are our native blackjack oak and eastern red cedar. Also, our native yaupon holly and dogwood are valuable for butterflies. Don't forget kidney wood, mountain laurel, American elm, Pecan, Walnut, willow, mulberry, live oak, black locust, redbud, cottonwood, soapberry, boxelder, Texas ash and Mexican Buckeye. I would do some research on these trees before planting. I wouldn't recommend all of them for landscaping. Some of them are too messy. For example, poison ivy plays an important role in helping butterfly populations, but you sure wouldn't want a yard full.
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