Monarch butterflies poaching and farming
The monarch population has decreased 90% over the last 20 years. One of the many reasons that this happened is because of poaching and farming. Poaching and farming is the fifth most profitable illicit trade in the world. You can help by signing petitions for anti-poaching efforts for monarchs, donations, and volunteer work.
Background information
The monarch is a butterfly that weights less than half a gram, has a wingspan of four inches, and lives in forest and mountain areas. The life cycle of the monarch butterfly is divided into four stages larvae, caterpillar, cocoon,and butterfly. In March and April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants. They hatch into baby caterpillars, also called the larvae.
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It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillar doesn’t do much more than eat the milkweed in order to grow. After about two weeks, the caterpillar will be fully-grown and find a place to attach itself so that it can start the process of metamorphosis. It will attach itself to a stem or a leaf using silk and transform into a chrysalis. Although, from the outside, the 10 days of the chrysalis phase seems to be a time when nothing is happening, it is really a time of rapid change. Within the chrysalis the old body parts of the caterpillar are undergoing a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis, to become the beautiful parts that make up the butterfly that will emerge. The monarch butterfly will emerge from the pupa and fly away. Then the monarchs travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more from the United States and Canada to central Mexican forests. There the butterflies hibernate in the mountain forests, where a less extreme climate provides them a better chance to survive. Problem In a single year within a 20 year overall downward trend; this year’s measurement remains less than a quarter of what it was 20 years ago.
The abundance of monarchs fluctuates from one year to the next, depending greatly on climatic conditions during the growing season, especially in the spring, when overwintered monarchs begin the journey back northward and reproduce in Southern states. Poachers and illegal farming of the monarch butterfly has made an impact to the population of the monarch. Monarchs still remain a victim of poachers and could one day lead to the extinction of the monarch butterfly.
Possible solutions
Poaching and wildlife crimes are some of the reasons many species join the endangered list every year, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t have the power to stop these horrible crimes.
One way to help, is by signing petitions. Petitions that aid anti-poaching efforts for monarchs and enact the monarchs protection policy change, can benefit the monarchs, and another way to aid monarchs is by donating money and supplies to protect the men and women who face the poachers. Volunteering with anti-poaching units and monarch organizations could also benefit the monarchs.
Conclusion
The population of the monarchs has decreased 90% over the last 20 years.You can help by signing petitions for anti-poaching efforts for monarchs, donations, and volunteer work. “A power of butterfly must be the aptitude to fly, meadows of majesty concedes and easy sweeps of
sky.” Work cited Basic Facts About Monarch Butterflies.” Defenders of Wildlife, 19 September. 2016, “Monarch Butterfly.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, Monarch Butterfly Site: Life Cycle, Migration, Pictures, News, More!” Monarch Butterfly Site: “Monarchs Face New Threats, Losses Along Migration Route.” The National Wildlife Federation Blog, “Planting the Wrong Kind of Milkweed May Harm Monarch Butterflies.” Entomology Today, 24 May 2016, Venture, The Monarch Joint. “In the face of declines in monarch numbers and habitat availability.” MJV News RSS, monarchjointventure.org/.
The life cycle of a monarch revolves around the Butterfly weed plant. First the monarch lays its egg on the leaf of the plant. Once the Caterpillar is born it eats the leaf for nutrition. The Monarch caterpillar is striped black and yellow. As it grows and becomes ready to become a chrysalis by forming a cocoon it uses the plant again. The caterpillar forms its cocoon on the Butterfly Weed. By the time the caterpillar is ready to become a chrysalis it has grown to be about 45 millimeters in length. The chrysalis is pale green and spotted with gold. It becomes more transparent as the butterfly gets ready to break free. The adult Monarch has a wingspan of about 4 inches. The m...
...ricia icarioides missionensis is one method that will allow scientists to understand which areas the butterflies are more populous in order to determine which areas need more protection. Monitoring will also help scientists know which conditions need to be mimicked in order to create a stable environment for the butterflies. Enhancing the Icaricia icarioides missionensis habitat is another plan that can assist in repopulating the species. It will create environments that are conducive to the goal of repopulation. A third plan is the relocation of Icaricia icarioides missionensis butterflies. This plan will remove them from their currently endangered habitats and reintroduce them to a similar, but safer habitat. In conclusion these are three methods with which human beings can attempt to reverse some of the damage they have caused to Icaricia icarioides missionensis.
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