[PCA] FW: NPCC News: Videos Show Clouds of Monarch Butterflies Flocking to Native Plants

[Emily Roberson]

Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Viral video dramatically demonstrates that in pollinator conservation - “native plants do it better!”, science agrees

  <https://ymlpmail2.net/imgz/09yp_MonarchsRickDarkefromTallamycroppedsm.jpg> September 9, 2019

 

A beautiful example of the benefits of conserving and expanding native plant communities is making the rounds on social media.

 

Several <https://twitter.com/DustinDemmer>  new videos show masses of monarch butterflies swirling around a farm and a family in Southern Minnesota. The butterflies were attracted to the tens of thousands of native flowers planted by a landowner.

 

The north American Monarch population has declined by at least 90% in the last 20 years. <https://www.newsweek.com/monarch-butterflies-extinct-1302838>  The species is currently being considered for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

 

Dustin Demmer, a native wildflower producer, interviewed by a local television station, noted that the plants draw all sorts of pollinators, as well as songbirds.

 

He also said it doesn’t have to be a rare sight.

 

"This sight can really happen on any piece of property whether it is downtown Minneapolis, or rural America or even the suburbs. Where if you plant native plants you will immediately see more pollinators, more insects more birds.”

 

And there are implications for other cities:

 

"As [cities] expand and new developments are putting in landscaping and they have a choice. They can continue to do the traditional daylilies and European grasses which don't really support many of these pollinators or they can choose to do native landscaping which supports pollinators, which supports birds and also looks really nice,” said Demmer.

 

 

**See a news story on the Minnesota Monarch video <http://www.kaaltv.com/news/monarch-video-goes-viral-on-social-media-showing-impact-of-native-plants/5480664/> 

 

The video provides a dramatic example of a phenomenon that scientists have documented increasingly (see below) in recent years: healthy, diverse native plant communities support healthy, diverse native pollinator communities. Diverse insect communities, in turn, do a better job of pollinating crops and supporting songbirds and other wildlife than monocultures of European honeybees.

 

So, plant local native plants in and around your farms, buildings and gardens because:

They are beautiful!

They support local pollinators, birds and wildlife!

They help produce more and better crops! 

 

Examples of recent studies of these native plant – insect – wildlife interrelationships include:

Plant diversity increases insect diversity <https://www.idiv.de/en/news/news_single_view/news_article/plant_divers-2.html>   German Centre For Integrative Biodiversity Research  April, 2019  <https://ymlpmail2.net/imgz/09yp_Beetlepollinatingappletree--1.png> 

 

Diverse Bee Communities Best for Apple Orchards <https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2019/diverse-bee-communities-best-for-apple-orchards/?fbclid=IwAR0lQ9COifSNHDlfO9ASSlkrmWOy1RPCNrQ93dS3k1A4khb7zSTNH4EBu0c>  USDA Agricultural Research Service, March, 2019

Researchers found that orchards surrounded by agricultural landscapes had 55 percent fewer bee species than those bordered by natural areas (which provide shelter, nesting sites and additional pollen and nectar). Apples from orchards with low bee diversity generally contained fewer seeds and weighed less Diversity-poor orchards also had more misshapen fruit.

 

Native Plants Support Diverse Native Pollinators Essential to Food Supply <https://nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=295868>  National Science Foundation News July, 2018

 

Smithsonian Study Links Declines in Suburban Backyard Birds to Presence of Nonnative Plants <https://nationalzoo.si.edu/news/new-smithsonian-study-links-declines-suburban-backyard-birds-presence-nonnative-plants>  October 2018

 

Non‐native plants reduce abundance, richness, and host specialization in lepidopteran [butterflies, moths, etc.] communities <https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/ES10-00032.1>  Ecological Society of America Journals, November 2010

(Note: last two articles co-authored by NPCC Advisor Doug Tallamy)

 

Further, European Honey Bees actually can harm native pollinators and wildlife:

Conserving honey bees does not help wildlife <https://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6374/392> . Science Magazine January, 2018

 

Foreign bees monopolize Southern California flower resources <https://ucnrs.org/foreign-bees-monopolize-southern-california-flower-resources/>  Univ. California Natural Reserve System Journal, February, 2019

 

Photos:

Monarch butterflies (c) Doug Tallamy

Beetle pollinating apple. Public Domain 

 

________________________________________

Emily B. Roberson, Ph.D.

Native Plant Conservation Campaign <http://plantsocieties.cnps.org/> 

415 531 4439

emilyr@ <mailto:emilyr at plantsocieties.org> plantsocieties.org <mailto:emilyr at plantsocieties.org> 

The mission of the Native Plant Conservation Campaign is to promote the conservation of native plants and their habitats through collaboration, research, education, and advocacy.

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