How can I help?
At the SBG, we work hard to maintain our beautiful gardens as a habitat for monarchs and other pollinators. But you don’t have to have a huge garden to help!
It could be as simple as adding native milkweed to your existing garden. Milkweed is the monarch’s host plant: the only plant the caterpillar can eat, and the only place a monarch will lay her eggs. It’s also a good source of nectar, as are other fall-bloomers such as native asters and goldenrod. These late-summer beauties provide much-needed fuel for monarchs as they move south to Mexico, and help other pollinators make a healthy transition to winter.
For more ideas about how to create habitat for monarchs and other pollinators, visit our website: snetsingerbutterflygarden.org
Author: Lisa Schneider
​Photo credit: Pam Ford

Imagine setting out on a 3,000 mile journey to a place you’ve never been before. You’ve got no vehicle, no money, no cell phone—not even a map! This is what our intrepid migrating monarchs face every fall.
Fortunately, Mother Nature has equipped them with everything they need to find their way. Like migratory birds, monarch butterflies use the position of the sun to calculate where they should be going (a ‘sun compass’) . But the sun is a moving target—so how do they stay oriented as the sun moves across the sky? Monarchs also possess an internal circadian clock which adjusts their calculations as the sun's position changes throughout the day.
It had long been assumed that both mechanisms resided in the brain, but recent research has found that this isn’t the case. A monarch’s antennae are truly amazing high-tech multitools—sensing scents, sounds and wind direction. In addition, we now know that the clock which guides their sun compass also resides in the antennae.
​Author: Lisa Schneider
Photo credit: Istock

We know that a good supply of nectar is essential for monarchs who are making the long journey to Mexico. And we know that native plants such as milkweed, aster and goldenrod are excellent sources of this all-important food. But just how do butterflies consume it?
Butterflies eat with their proboscis. This long, narrow mouthpart has coevolved with the flowers a butterfly relies on for nectar, so not surprisingly the length of the proboscis is usually correlated with the depth of the corolla tube of the flower species on which it feeds. Because it looks rather like a drinking straw, it was always assumed that it works like one, too. But in science, assumptions can be dangerous!
Not long ago, an engineer who was watching his young daughters chasing butterflies became curious. How could butterflies suck liquid through a straw that might be several times their body length? According to the physics of fluid transport, this would expend more energy than it delivered—not a recipe for success!
Once the question was raised, other scientists became interested and further studies ensued. As a result, we now know that a proboscis works more like a sponge—soaking up the nectar via capillary action, aided by a suction pump in the head of the butterfly.
So the next time you observe a monarch fueling up on your milkweed plant, remember—there’s more to it than meets the eye!
Author: Lisa Schneider
Photo credit: Pam Ford

In mid-September, watch the sky for migrating monarchs! Monarchs east of the Rockies are headed to a very specific area in the mountains of central Mexico. The Oyamel fir forests provide the perfect monarch microclimate: not too warm, not too cold, and with just the right level of humidity.
Thousands of tourists travel to see this amazing sight each winter. It’s incredible to think that until fairly recently, only a few local villagers knew about it. But in 1975, a volunteer amateur naturalist and his wife were able to follow the monarchs' trail west from Mexico City, and the "Mountain of Monarchs" was discovered at last.
In recent years, there has been growing concern about deforestation in the monarchs’ winter home. The increase in intense weather events has also put stress on the area. And since monarchs rely on the cue of cooler weather for migratory orientation, some scientists fear that warming temperatures could cause monarchs to simply keep moving south—away from their natural habitat.
​Author: Lisa Schneider
Photo: Xerces Society

Since a monarch butterfly’s life cycle is only a few weeks long, several generations will be born over the course of the summer. At first glance, migrating monarchs may look the same as summer monarchs—but there are several important differences.
Migrating monarchs won’t mate or lay eggs until next spring. Instead, they put all their energy into getting ready for their epic road trip. Their focus is on food; they eat as much as possible, and extra nectar is stored as fat in the abdomen. They’ll need a good supply—not only for the journey, but also because they’ll eat almost nothing during their 5-month sojourn in Mexico.
​Author: Lisa Schneider
Photo: Journey North

​Pollinator Profile #7: Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
 
Favorite song: On the Road Again
Likes: Long, lazy sunny summer days
Dislikes: Paparazzi
Superpower: Flawless sense of direction
Dream vacation: Sunny Mexico!
 
The monarch is just about the most recognized, photographed, studied and loved North American insect.
At the SBG, we’re no exception! From maintaining our Monarch Waystation to presenting Monarch Tagging programs in the fall, we’re committed to doing our part to conserve this beautiful traveler.
 
Author: Lisa Schneider
 
 

Pollinator Profile #6: Bumble‌ ‌bee (Bombus)
Favorite‌ ‌Song:‌ ‌Singin’‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌Rain‌ ‌
Likes:‌ ‌Early‌ ‌mornings,‌ ‌late‌ ‌nights
Party trick: Buzz pollination
Motto: It’s‌ ‌hard‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌humble‌ ‌when‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌as‌ ‌gifted‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌bumble!‌ ‌
 
 
Bumble‌ ‌bees‌ ‌are‌ ‌probably‌ ‌our‌ ‌best-known‌ ‌native‌ ‌bee.‌ ‌These‌ ‌fuzzy‌ ‌friends‌ ‌are‌ ‌hard-working,‌ ‌versatile‌ ‌pollinators. Early‌ ‌risers,‌ ‌they’re‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌forage‌ ‌when‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌too‌ ‌cold‌ ‌or‌ ‌wet‌ ‌for‌ ‌other‌ ‌bees.‌ ‌And‌ ‌as‌ ‌generalists,‌ ‌they‌ ‌pollinate‌ ‌a‌ ‌wide‌ ‌variety‌ ‌of‌ ‌plants. Growers of tomatoes and other veggies in the Solanaceae family especially appreciate their special talent for buzz pollination, or sonication. By unhooking their wings from their thoracic muscles, bumble bees can vibrate their entire bodies rapidly, thus shaking the pollen out of hard-to-reach flowers.
But it’s not all work and no play in the bumbleverse! At the SBG, we recently observed a throng of ecstatic bumbles having a party on the wild rose (Rosa virginiana). The fragrant blooms really seemed to give them an extra-special ‘buzz’!
 
Author:  Lisa Schneider
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​Pollinator Profile #5: Metallic Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon sp.)
Favorite song: Let’s Get Physical
Guilty pleasure: Salty snacks
Motto: Good things come in small packages!
With its shiny green head and thorax, the metallic green sweat bee glistens like a jewel among the flowers of the SBG. Look more closely at this tiny visitor, and you’ll see how its contrasting striped abdomen perfectly completes its fashion statement. It may look decorative, but this beautiful bee is working hard, too—much pollen is carried on the scopal hairs of its back legs.
One of the most well-known traits of sweat bees is their supposed attraction to human perspiration, which contains both the moisture and salts that they need. Although scientists continue to debate the veracity of this claim, there’s no doubting one thing: This little bee’s attraction to humans gives us a great opportunity for up-close and personal appreciation!
Author: Lisa Schneider

​Pollinator Profile #4: Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Nickname: Fennel Fiend
Motto: Keep Calm and Carrot On
Superpower: Built-in pepper spray!
It’s easy to confuse the spicebush swallowtail with the black swallowtail (Papilo polyxenes) as both species have dark forewings and iridescent blue on their hindwings. However, Black Swallowtails are readily distinguished by the bold yellow band that parallels the row of marginal yellow spots on both fore and hind wings.
Also, while the larvae of our Spicy friend prefer spicebush as a host plant, the black swallowtail comes into our gardens to lay its eggs on carrots, dill, parsley and other members of the Umbelliferae family. At the SBG, bronze fennel is a favorite.
And while spicebush caterpillars have distinctive fake eye spots to ward off predators, black swallowtails have an equally ingenious defense mechanism. The osmeterium is an organ attached to the back of the caterpillar’s head that mimics the forked tongue of a snake. When the caterpillar is disturbed, the osmeterium extends and releases a foul-smelling chemical repellant. Harmless to humans, it sends common insect predators packing in a hurry!
Author: Lisa Schneider