There’s nothing quite like seeing a Monarch butterfly spread its wings and glide through the air. It can certainly provide a sense of calm to life’s everyday stressors.
But the monarch’s numbers have dwindled as of late. In fact, the current population is just a small fraction of what it once was decades ago. One Central Texas town has now made it its mission to preserve the pristine insect.
They’re instantly recognizable, with their striking orange and black colors. A single Monarch butterfly can travel thousands of miles.
“It comes up in generations. One butterfly comes so far, and then it will stop to reproduce, and then the offspring from that monarch will emerge from the chrysalis and then become an adult and then head north,” said Bill Teeter, who works as the Conservation Programs Coordinator for the city of Leander.
The insects fly north towards the Canadian border. They migrate through Texas twice a year -in the spring and fall- on their way to and from Mexico.
“Leander is right in the middle of their flyway,” Teeter said.
Teeter said the monarchs start arriving each year in early March, as they look for milkweed plants to lay their eggs. In order for this to happen, we’ve got to protect the monarchs, and the city of Leander vowed to help.
“We joined the mayors monarch pledge which is an effort by the National Wildlife Federation to support the monarch butterfly,” Teeter said.
Part of that support can be spotted along Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Eight signs were put up last week along the six-mile stretch explaining why Leander is delaying mowing in the area until June.
“Those are areas where that milkweed is commonly going to grow so monarchs again only reproduce on the milkweed. They need to lay their eggs,” Teeter said.
Teeter hopes you take the same precaution in your yard by mowing around the milkweed if you see them on your property.
Other things you can do to help the monarchs include adding bright nectar plants like lantanas to your gardens and limiting the use of herbicides and pesticides.
“I think everybody learned about the monarch when they were in school, it would be a shame if we didn’t have them around anymore,” Teeter said.