Mayors’ Monarch Pledge

Provided by University of New England Research

Monarch Butterflies

Monarchs contribute to the environment through pollination, and serve as an important food source for many species. They have striking markings making them unique for their species. Their markings also serve as a way to deter predators as it signals they could possibly be poisonous. Their choice of habitats consists mostly of prairies, meadows, and grassland, throughout North America (U.S. Department of Interior). They live for a few weeks having different generations that come out in the late summer and early fall. As soon as they are born, they travel to accomplish their migration. Monarch butterflies are the only known butterflies that are able to complete a 2-day migration journey, similar to birds, where they travel from eastern North America to areas in Mexico (Migration and Overwintering, Forest Service Shield). Colonies living in western North America travel to California, where there are similar microclimate conditions to that of central Mexico (Migration and Overwintering, Forest Service Shield). 

Climate Change

There are many significant threats that affect them including climate change and loss of habitat, specifically in the winter (U.S. Department of Interior). Monarch butterflies rely on environmental cues for their migration, and can be particularly vulnerable to changing temperatures (Climate Change, Monarch Joint Venture). In order to better adapt to climate change, it is possible that monarchs may have to move more north from their current range in June and July and then go back south during August to continue reproduction (Climate Change, Monarch Joint Venture). It is also seen that the locations the monarch migrates to in Mexico, may not be suitable for the monarchs, which could completely change where they are able to go and may require a completely new area (Climate Change, Monarch Joint Venture). Monarchs also rely on milkweeds for many things, and due to climate change and if the environmental conditions are not suitable for the milkweed, they could become dormant or even die, forcing the monarchs to have to travel to another area where the milkweed is available for them (Climate Change, Monarch Joint Venture). Overall, climate change is heavily affecting monarch butterflies and the environment that they live in, it is important to mitigate these affects and help the community you live in find sustainable solutions for these species survival. 

The Mayors Monarch Pledge

The Mayors Monarch Pledge was launched in 2015 in order to engage with cities and community members in protecting and restoring monarchs and their habitats. Within 5 years of the pledge being created, it welcomed over 600 mayors and heads of local and tribal governments to the pledge. With 6 million people becoming engaged with the pledge and restoring over 6,500 acres of monarch habitat. The Mayors Monarch Pledge also became a tri-national partnership in 2017 between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Learn more about the Mayors Monarch Pledge and what you can do for the monarchs in your community here: Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. This also allows you to see the pledges that have occurred in your community, such as our very own Biddeford, Maine, which pledged April 27, 2021. There are many things that you can do within your community to help support this pledge and the monarch butterflies that live in your area. This includes maintaining public engagement with community gardens, planting gardens of your own (including milkweed and other pollinator friendly plants), and other sustainable practices that help to support these species. By doing this, it helps to provide a habitat for monarch butterflies to return to and also informs members of the community about the importance of helping this species. Biddeford, ME is a great example of this, as we have our very own community gardens which provide learning opportunities for community members and also provide pollinator friendly plants for monarch butterflies and other species. 

Action Items/What is being done (National Wildlife Federation, Mayors Monarch Pledge)

There have been numerous actions done through the Mayors Monarch Pledge to help the monarch butterflies. These action items include different categories such as communications and convening, program and demonstration gardens, and also system changes. Within each action there are numerous plans and ideas for what can be done to help and support the monarch butterflies. The communication and conveying action includes ideas to raise awareness about the decline of monarch butterflies and the need for their habitat. It also includes launching or maintaining public efforts to help encourage residents in the area to plant monarch gardens at their homes, including engaging with public areas to grow milkweed and other useful plants to the monarch butterflies. Overall, the communication and conveying act focuses primarily on engaging with the community and public leaders to create sustainable areas for these species to live and also informing them about the importance of the pledge. The program and demonstration gardens help to encourage people to see the importance of these gardens in action. Hosting events for people to attend and giving them the opportunity to see how the gardens work will help to encourage community members to take action of their own. This also includes supporting new areas for milkweeds and other pollinator friendly plants in open areas such as roadsides, medians and other public areas. The last action item includes system changes. This includes actions such as removing milkweed from the list of noxious plants in city landscaping ordinances, increasing native plants, reducing the use of herbicides or pesticides, and many others. These actions are seen to take place all over the country. By engaging and informing people about the importance of the Mayors Monarch Pledge and monarch butterflies in general, it can help to create a safe environment for these species to flourish and grow right in your backyard.

Sources:

Program overview: Mayors’ monarch pledge. National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). https://www.nwf.org/MayorsMonarchPledge/About/Overview  

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.-b). Pollinators. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/monarch-butterfly.htm  

Migration and Overwintering. Forest Service Shield. (n.d.-a). https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/migration/index.shtml  

Climate change. Monarch Joint Venture. (n.d.). https://monarchjointventure.org/monarch-biology/threats/climate-change