We have all seen them with their beautiful combinations of black, orange, and white: monarch butterflies. But, did you know that these butterfly friends might not be around on our earth much longer ? That's right, they are quickly disappearing, but WE can do something to stop their extinction.
Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plant, and monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. Here is what the milkweed plant looks like :
Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plant, and monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. Here is what the milkweed plant looks like :
In many places, humans are cutting down milkweed plants to build houses, streets, and buildings. In other places, people are removing milkweed when they cut down trees to harvest the wood for lumber. In other places still, people are getting rid of the milkweed plants because they may not look as nice or smell as good as other plants and they don't want the milkweed growing in their yards. Wildfires are also responsible for killing milkweed plants. Getting rid of milkweed is NOT good for the monarch butterflies because they need it to survive.
People who are trying to do something about the disappearance of milkweed and monarch butterflies are called conservationists. Conservationists sometimes buy land or set aside a portion of their own land to plant milkweed and create an environment especially for caterpillars and butterflies.
People who are trying to do something about the disappearance of milkweed and monarch butterflies are called conservationists. Conservationists sometimes buy land or set aside a portion of their own land to plant milkweed and create an environment especially for caterpillars and butterflies.