As it gets colder, monarch butterflies will begin passing through our area on their way to more southern climates

                As it gets colder, monarch butterflies will begin passing through our area on their way to more southern climates so make sure to watch out for them especially while you're driving.

 

As the chilly weather hits the northern United States and Canada every fall, monarch butterflies begin a migration south that takes them across North Florida.

 

Millions of monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains spend their winters at a specific forest in central Mexico—encompassing just 70 square miles and to get there, they use Florida’s river corridors and coastal barrier islands.

 

Many of the butterflies pass over our bays as they move south, so slowing down a little on the bridges might help more of the survive.

Research indicates the Monarch population has declined up to 90 percent due to various factors such as habitat loss, land management practices and some types of chemically aided agriculture.

The loss of quality breeding habitat due to increased use of herbicide-tolerant crops has been particularly harmful because the butterfly’s host plant which is milkweed has been essentially eliminated in the agricultural landscape where they were once abundant. 

There are many things people can do to help increase the Monarch population.

One of the easiest and most helpful options is to create breeding habitat for Monarchs by planting milkweed that is native to Florida.

Native milkweed is the only food source that Monarch butterflies will feed on and there are numerous species of native milkweed to choose from.

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