By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
First off, a big thank you to those who have written in and sent lovely feedback about this column. I am so happy it is making a difference in your life and even adding some quality to it. The publication of this column was long overdue but it’s better late than never, right? I appreciate that fact that a few of you have even purchased a new subscription to this newspaper for the sole/soul purpose of knowing what I have to share next. Thank you, I appreciate you all and I will always do my best for you.
Currently, it is the month of August. Many people have taken up a new hobby of “saving the Monarch butterfly”. August in West Virginia is the high-tide for monarch life-cycle and reproduction. The milkweed is going crazy, the monarchs arrived in July and are now working on their second and third generations here in the mountains. They will continue to breed, lay eggs(hundreds per mama monarch) and build up their number before heading south. So, while they are here now through September and into October we can participate in doing our part to save them.
Why do they need saved? Let’s start with that. These butterflies do something that is most recognized because other butterflies are not as known, not as large and colorful, and not as studied. Truly, other butterflies need saving too. However, let’s focus on the monarch today. These critters fly to a certain mountain range home to a certain species of tree that holds a certain level of moisture and protection creating a certain and specific biosphere in said mountain range. This biosphere provides the exact condition necessary to keep the overwintering monarchs alive. The mountain range is in Mexico ~ the Michoacan Mountains, the trees are oyamel firs. And that is home for the winter to only the monarchs living east of the Rocky Mountain Range here in the US. All others west of the Rockies survive the winter in California primarily along the coast in the Pismo Beach area and perch in eucalyptus trees.
Much conservation has been done on their behalf since in the last four decades things have gone wrong in their overwintering grounds, such as illegal logging, unseasonal freezing weather and a plethora of other unfortunate events. But you may have heard that the monarch is West Virginia’s state butterfly. This was established back in 1995 when a group of school children approached the West Virginia Entomological Society(WVES) to make it so. The WVES then lobbied legislators on the group of children’s behalf, and it passed as a resolution that legislative session to make the monarch our state butterfly.
This may come to a surprise to you, but I thought is was a little silly to have a state butterfly when we already have a state insect. The honey bee. A butterfly IS AN INSECT. So basically we have two state insects, and that’s why I think it is silly. We don’t have two state flowers because one is a on a bush and the other straight from the ground, ehem…. Like a daisy for instance. Anyway we recognize the monarch as our state butterfly regardless of my reasoning or comfort zone, haha. Fast forward to 2004 more action for the monarch butterfly took place through legislation and this action is unique and has not been accomplished in any other state. Yes! West Virginia is number one in this category and is setting the bar for other states to do better for the monarch or for pollinators in general.
An individual by the name of Heather Tokas successfully as one person, singly lobbied legislators on our state butterfly’s behalf to create West Virginia Monarch Butterfly Day. Her mission was to not just recognize the monarch as a state symbol but to create a day of action and awareness on the monarch’s behalf. More needed to happen for the monarch beyond having it on a list of admiration. The monarch needed our help and still needs our help. So this day through House Concurrent Resolution 28 (HCR28) est.2004 provides a vehicle and focal day to take action for real conservation for the monarch. The day is September 12th of every year. This year will be the 20th anniversary of West Virginia Monarch Butterfly Day!!
Have you ever heard of it before? Shamefully, it has not been widely recognized or utilized by our education system or state departments. Only two years ago it was finally put on the Department of Agriculture’s yearly distributed calendar. The founder of this day had hoped an observance of the monarch would take shape on this day in the form of actual classroom assignments in school to identify its food source milkweed, to protect the young by rearing in safe enclosures, familiarizing with the life cycle and gaining a relationship with nature through monarchs. And this is what we can do to save the monarch. Join them in their little world, provide the safety and security they need and be forever changed by their example of metamorphosis.
Won’t you help to get the word out and brag about what West Virginia has in place for the saving of the monarch? Won’t you talk to teachers and encourage them to use this day wisely this year? Classrooms should be having a celebration on the 12th of September and talking about how to do better so we don’t lose the monarch all together.
Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. I will include them in the next available column as per their arrival relative to the publication deadline of Tuesday by 12 p.m. of the same week. If you wish to be anonymous let me know. Kindness is contagious~*