Review for Monarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Agrawal

 

When my husband gifted me a cornerof our new urban yard to use as a garden. His Valentine’s Day surprise was removingthe sod and working the soil. My dilemma, what to do with it? It didn't takelong to settle on growing milkweed for monarchs. I'd witnessed the fallmigration passing through Austin, Tx, and had an overnight roost of butterfliesin our trees in Bishop Hill, IL. I was sold. Getting my neighbors on board tooka little more time. Now I get compliments on the sweet aroma of floweringmilkweed and the pleasant sight of fluttering adult monarchs.

Along the way I've had many years of learningthe ins and outs of raising several types of milkweed and how to manage some ofthe dangers that lie in wait for monarch caterpillars. Everything about theseexperiences has been enlightening, from discovering the existence of parasiticflies and wasps to witnessing the metamorphosis to adult monarch, over and overagain.

Now, I have to include Anurag Agrawal's book,Monarchs and Milkweed, as an amazing discovery for my education. I've gottennew information on nasty pests, the mysterious OE, and tips on butterflybehavior. I've had several of my thoughts, based on my observations, confirmed.I have a new outlook on moving forward due to the interplay of a toxic plantand an insect as herbivore that Agrawal has provided.

There's a treasure trove of information and thescience to back it up. Yes, there were times when I had to make myself keepreading. It was worth it to get a better understanding of the chemicalinterplay of the pertinent toxins, cardenolides, and the monarch's defensiveadaptations. A chemical arms race is not a bad analogy.

The quality of the printed hardcover book wasimpressive. As were the photos. Who couldn’t love the photo of a Blue Jaybarfing after eating a monarch? Agrawal and his crew of supporters have createdan important and lasting contribution to monarch research for years to come.Five stars is not enough.

 

P.S. Citizen Scientists.

This is the part of the summerseason when foster parenting monarch caterpillars, helping them survive toadulthood, is the most rewarding--the great migration south is coming up.

In Monarchs and Milkweeds, Anurag Agrawal,goes into the history of how the secrets of the monarch’s migration were eventuallyrevealed. Discovering the details of the routes north and south was a processthat spanned decades and involved recruiting “citizen scientists” to help witha butterfly tagging program to figure it out and ultimately find the main overwinteringsite in Mexico.

Now there is another push for “citizenscientists” to help researchers. The call this time is to gather deadbutterflies, moths, and skippers to send in for testing.

I missed out on the original taggingprogram because I was too young. I’m going to miss out on this call because I don’tlive in any of the target states of Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma,and Texas. Still, I like the idea of butterfly enthusiasts contributing to findinganswers.

NOTE: There is a Nov. 1 deadline forsending specimens in to the USGS LRC. Find out more at:

https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-...