THAT TIME OF YEAR---HELP MONARCHS ON THEIR LONG MIGRATION SOUTH

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

FROM DEC DELIVERS----Help Monarchs on their Long Migration South

In New York, Monarch butterflies begin their annual fall migration in mid-August. These butterflies are the great-great-grandchildren of the monarchs that migrated to Mexico last fall.

Here are some ways you can help monarchs:  Turn a portion of your lawn into a wildflower meadow to provide food (nectar); plant milkweed or other native wildflowers. 

Delay mowing areas with milkweed until later in the fall. 

Avoid using pesticides—they kill all life-stages of monarchs (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult). 

Report sightings of adults or caterpillars online. View a map of the sightings so far this year—caterpillars have already been spotted across the northeast!   

Not sure when their migration peaks in your area? Check out this chart.   

Chrysalis Stage --Have you seen a small green pod about an inch-long? It could be a monarch caterpillar (larva) after it enters the pupa stage and is now in a chrysalis. If you see one, try not to disturb it. They will find a safe place, often under a milkweed leaf to enter this stage in their development, which lasts about 9-14 days. Sometimes they will pupate hanging under eaves, decks, other garden plants, or even on window screens!

Note: All content on this blog is Copyright (c) by Maria Cudequest and by the posters who have contributed specific content. All material is for your personal use only. No content or photos may be republished or sold, without prior written from your editor and the individual who contributed the content in question. For permissions or questions about this policy, please contact the editor.