Monarchs have a home in Clear Lake

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake prides itself on being a welcoming spot for visitors.  That now includes winged guests.

Central Gardens of North Iowa submitted for and is now qualified as a Monarch Butterfly Waystation.

Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to mountains in central Mexico where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring.  Monarchwatch.org, which certified the Gardens, describes a waystation as a necessary resource for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. 

“Without milkweeds throughout their spring and summer breeding areas in North America, monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration each fall. Similarly, without 

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nectar from flowers these fall migratory monarch butterflies would be unable to make their long journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico. The need for host plants for larvae and energy sources for adults applies to all monarch and butterfly populations around the world,” states the organization.

“The application process itself was relatively easy,” said Central Gardens of North Iowa President Becke Dorenbush, “but that’s because we had all the groundwork done through the many projects we’ve done in the past.  A good monarch habitat requires nectar plants, shelter in the form of some plant density, and conservation management practices like avoiding the use of insecticides, mulching to retain moisture, and amending the soil as needed. All of those are what garden adopters and the horticulture crew work to implement already.”

The Gardens documented its host plants (milkweeds), annual or biannual nectar plants, as well as perennial nectar plants in the habitat.  

“The last piece of the puzzle comes in the form of host plants: the specific species of plants that insects use to lay their eggs on and that larvae (caterpillars) eat as they are growing.  For monarchs, those plants are milkweeds,” explained Dorenbush.  “While they aren’t specific as to which milkweed they use (we have common milkweed, swamp milkweed, and butterfly milkweed in Central Gardens), they will only utilize milkweed species for reproduction.”

Proof of sustainable management practices, such as managing the density of the plot, mulching around the base of plants to reduce weed growth and retain water, eliminating the use of insecticides and added features such as fruit feeders, bee nesting boxes and other host plants, also accompanied the application.  

According to ISU entomology professor Steve Bradbury, the loss of habitats in the U.S. and forest degradation in Mexico have contributed to the Monarch’s decline. They rely on milkweed and flowers for their habitat. The larvae use the milkweed for their diet, and the females lay their eggs on these perennials.

Central Gardens is the perfect spot for the beautiful butterflies, with three sprawling acres of over 20 themed gardens.  But you don’t need acres of land to help these travelers.

Want to help the Monarchs? You can simply plant milkweed or biennial or perennial nectar plants in your yard. Or if you prefer to see these majestic butterflies at the gardens, grab your camera and visit Central Gardens.

  To learn more about Monarch butterflies and to create a habitat, visit www.monarchmania.com.  

After receiving its waystation designation, Central Gardens was listed on monarchmania.com.

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