$10 1-hr Zoom class- How to Attract & Raise Monarch Butterflies

Temecula CA

31 January, 2021

11:01 AM

Description

Learn how to attract and host monarch butterflies and caterpillars in your yard or patio with beautiful pesticide-free perennial milkweed flowers. This is a fascinating home hobby, or homeschool learning project. Monarch butterflies lay eggs on milkweed, baby caterpillars hatch and grow, form a chrysalis, and emerge as new butterflies within about 30 days. With photos and videos, I will show you how I planted a small butterfly garden at my home in Murrieta, attracted adult monarch butterflies to my yard, and then raised their eggs to caterpillars to newly emerged butterflies. I will also go over how to care for your milkweed in a way that protects the monarch's health, and how to grow milkweed from seeds. We will discuss the current endangered status of monarchs in California and what we can personally do right now in our own yards and patios here in California to hopefully help keep the species from going extinct. To sign up for the class, please email me at [email protected]. Please provide me with your name, email address and phone number, and any specific questions you have or topics you want covered. We will have time at the end of class to try to answer specific questions. The $10 class fee can be paid by cash or check (in my no-contact porch drop box or by mail), or by Zelle or Venmo. Date: Thursday 2/4/2021 Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm NOTE: Did you know that 30 years ago, there were still millions of monarchs who overwintered in California every year? In 2018 and 2019 there were 30,000. Unbelievably, the annual count in November 2020 totaled only 1,900! By learning about monarchs and planting several milkweeds, one person can responsibly help raise about 25 caterpillars to adult butterflies per year. Imagine what could be accomplished together this year if 1,000 people in California volunteered to plant milkweed in their own yards, or even in pots. DID YOU KNOW: We have a small year-round population of monarchs trying to establish themselves in Murrieta that need our support. On 12/25/20, I had 35 monarch caterpillars and chrysalises (while there were only 1,900 counted in the rest of California.) I still have monarchs visiting my garden daily & laying eggs, and I have new caterpillars emerging daily, more than I can take care of by myself. People who have taken this class are now helping to raise these caterpillars on their own milkweed. By education and cooperation, together we can make an impact.  HOW YOU CAN HELP: Do one or more of the folowwing:  1. Learn more about what monarchs need (take the monarch class.) 2. Plant a pesticide-free milkweed flower in your garden or in a pot. 3. Raise 1 caterpillar to an adult butterfly using a netted cage (can be purchased online or from me for $10-15.) 4. Be ready to bring your potted milkweed and 24" cage inside temporarily (overnight or for a day or two) when we have a frost, smoke from fires, aerial spraying, a rain storm or Santa Ana winds. One storm or freeze can wipe out the whole population in the area, but our assistance can ensure that some caterpillars survive to carry on. 5. Grow milkweed from seed (inside by a sunny window or in a small greenhouse) and share new plants with others. I currently have 200 seedlings growing, but we need about 1,000 seedlings by March. 6. We especially need your help if you live within one mile of the corner of Murrieta Hot Springs Rd. and Margarita Road. This is one of the locations in Temecula/Murrieta that a small colony of monarchs are currently observed.  7. Please email me if you are observing monarchs regularly in other locations/neighborhoods. They often try to roost at night in mature groves of trees, on a slope facing south or southwest, and near a water source such as a pond or lake. On sunny days during midday, they can be seen searching for nectar on flowers and looking for milkweed plants to lay their eggs on. All locations within 2 miles of the ocean or a local body of water are critical.  OPTIONAL HOMEWORK: Please try to get milkweed seeds now so that you will be able to start them indoors now, and move them outdoors in March to support the spring migration. LiveMonarch.com offers 50 seeds for $1 (asclepias curassavica.) Seeds are also available on Amazon, etc. If a monarch lays eggs on your milkweed plant, you will definitely need more than 1 plant to feed them, since one small plant only feeds 1-2 hungry caterpillars every 2 months. Plan ahead now. I will have more milkweed plants available for purchase in the coming weeks and months. To place your order, email me at: Press Butterfly Gardens 38105 Via Taffia Murrieta, CA 92563 951-218-9776 [email protected]